Finding my way back to you
by moon-soon
Summary: A collection of AU oneshots of how Logan and Camille find each other. story nine: Camille and Logan have never met but have a deep relationship online, when they meet under surprising circumstances will their feelings be able to survive their families?
1. Finding the courage

**Author's note: the beginning of a collection of AU Lomille oneshots, each oneshot will exist in a separate universe and will show no matter the circumstances Logan and Camille always find their way back to each other. Requests are welcome for future chapters.**

The thing about the Palmwoods was that it was somewhat of a revolving door for teenage wanna-bes and hopefuls alike. It was one thing the more permanent residents could appreciate was that there was always a parade of colourful new faces to keep them… entertained.

"There's a new girl coming today" Carlos bounced up and down excitedly, hitting his friend on the arm repeatedly. Kendall gave him a look of general annoyance "yes Carlos- I heard you the first FOUR times, what of it?"

"What of it?" James echoed in disbelief, he tore off his sunglasses and sat up from the deck chair he had been tanning himself on. "Your recent FAILED relationship has made you celibate- it's ALWAYS good news when there's a new girl." He high fived Carlos who flopped down on the chair next to him, Kendall rolled his eyes at them "first of all my relationship with Jo didn't fail we split up over creative differences, I saw myself in a relationship and she saw herself in New Zealand... Anyway it's only exciting because they don't know of your reputation yet," he wiggled his eyebrows at James.

Carlos pouted and crossed his arms "I haven't got a reputation- so I think I should have first dibs on the new girl!" he gave James a triumphant look and James returned it with a look of shock before whining to Kendall "KKKKKKeeendallll- he CAN'T just call dibs when he hasn't even seen her!"

Carlos pulled out a thick book emblazoned with the words 'Book of Pranks' perching a pair of spectacles on his nose as he opened the book to the correct page. "No so- according to the word of the grand high Sir Lord Prankington" Carlos paused as they all saluted reverently. "I may call retroactive dibs on a girl if the apposing party has called dibs on the last three girls" he slammed the book closed with triumph.

James pursed his lips in annoyance and then paused and took in Carlos appearance "hey- what's up with the glasses?" Carlos shrugged and pushed the glasses up his nose with a smirk "I know a guy."

"Well in any case- I've only called dibs on two girls in a row," James folded his arms and turned to Kendall "judge ruling!" Kendall nodded, "one second" he ducked down reappearing wearing a powdered judge wig and a monocle. "Okay- proceed."

"Okay- now where did you get the monocle?" James asked in annoyance and Carlos smirked "I introduced him to my guy" Kendall grinned and readjusted his monocle fondly. "Bribery" James accused pointing a horrified finger at Kendall who gave him a mock look of outrage "never- anyway I've reviewed the evidence."

"When?" Carlos asked curiously and Kendall sent him a sharp smile "when I was putting on my wig- I find the proceedings to be in Carlos' favour." Carlos whooped and James let out a cry of outrage and jumped up almost running head first into a black haired boy carrying a lot of luggage. "Woah- sorry bro," James said as he steadied the guy.

"No harm done" he shrugged "could you direct me to the manager- he wasn't at the front desk."

A large smile crossed James face that made the dark hair boy shift uncomfortably; "certainly- he's over by the pool, wrecking Kendall's little sister's card game." He pointed past the pool to where the portly man was snatching a watch out of Katie's hands. "Thank you" he said politely and gave him an unsure smile, "James" James supplied and the boy nodded "James- I'll remember that."

He ran off and James turned in victory pointing after the boy "that," he laughed "is the 'new girl' you just called dibs on!" Carlos' mouth hung open and James cackled at his facial expression. Kendall gave the new guy an assessing look with a mischievous grin "well Carlos- you could do worse… and he looks about your height too, it's perfect."

Carlos snatched the wig from Kendall's head and threw it at him in a huff "I liked it better when we were picking on James." James let out an insulted sound but Kendall nodded and pushed James into the pool, "that IS more fun isn't it?"

"YOU GUYS SUCK!"

******BTR******

Katie was sulking in the lobby; Bitters had put an end to her poker game prematurely and had disqualified her winnings. She was already thinking of ways to get them back, all she needed was an accomplice but the talent for this kind of job was a little limited at the Palmwoods.

She needed someone tough, someone not afraid to break the rules, someone…

A girl walked past her, trying to pull several guitars along with her. She was, in a word, kind of badass- certainly not someone you'd usually see at the Palmwoods. Her hair was streaked with red; she was wearing tight black pants and a fitted black blazer adorned with anti-establishment buttons.

She'd do.

"Hey new girl" Katie called out and the girl stopped and cast her heavy lidded eyes in her direction "hey… little girl?" She responded with a small quirk of her lip, Katie smirked and crossed her arms; this girl obviously had no idea who she was talking to. That would work in her favour.

"How do you feel about the establishment bringing you down?" The girl raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Katie and looked down at her blazer and then up at Katie with a smirk. "I have… strong feelings about the matter" she chucked a CD to Katie, who caught it with ease "take a listen to this before you try to con me into whatever scheme you're hatching."

Katie gave the girl an appraising look, before turning away from the girl with a small approving smirk. The new girl took this as permission to move on and Katie was busy searching through her memory banks for someone who could be a good accomplice to her future heist.

She looked down at the dark CD cover 'Lucy Stone' Katie catalogued it in her mind before opening the cover to read the songs. Her eyebrows climbed high into her hairline in a matter of seconds "Teenage Anarchy, Eat my dog and Cut it off and… oh gross!"

She turned back to Lucy "Hey Lucy!" she called out "you need any help?"

Lucy looked up in surprise and grinned, "Oh God yes- you won't believe how much music crap I have in my car!" Katie walked up to her and took a guitar shaped like an axe almost tipping at the weight of it. "I'm Katie" she introduced herself as she tried to find a safe way to carry the dangerous guitar, Lucy shot her a smile "nice to meet you Katie, I think I've seen you in a commercial about soap- are you an actress?"

"Oh hell no, I'm here because my brother's in a band… I had to do a commercial if I wanted to go to the Palmwoods School. You need to be apart of the union to go there."

"You have a brother?" Lucy's face lit up and Katie made a face, hoping this wasn't where she asked her if he was cute and single.

"Is he strong?"

Katie looked at the guitar in her hand and then grinned, "you know what… he kind of is."

******BTR******

Katie dragged the boys along the corridor, "baby sisterrr" Kendall whined, "What are we doing? We were chillaxing at the pool!" Katie rolled her eyes "yeah? Well now you're going to help the new girl move her stuff."

"Katie- I don't know when the last time you had your eyes checked was BUT the only person moving in is a GUY." James told her in a patronizing tone "and Carlos had first dibs so don't even go there" Kendall sniggered, ducking out of Carlos hitting range. "Guuuuuuyys" he whined "that is SO not cool!"

"You guys are idiots" she stopped outside of apartment 3B "LUCY is clearly a girl- and kind of a badass."

"She's right you know" the door opened and Lucy leant across the frame with a smirk playing on her lips. The boys froze in shock, Katie stepped away from them and sighed "does this happen a lot around you?" Lucy shrugged "depends on the outfit… and the guy."

"Boys are stupid" Katie muttered and clapped her hands close to their ears, knocking them out of their trance.

"Um we're going to need a minuet to confer" Kendall held up a finger and dragged the other two boys away from the apartment.

"What the hell?" James practically yelled once they were a suitable distance away from the girls "THAT was no dude!" Carlos' face lit up "does that mean I still have dibs?" James stamped his foot "it most certainly does not- you claimed dibs on that dude, meaning the retroactive dibs clause is no longer in affect and I may call dibs."

"DIBS!" they both screamed at the same time and then turned to Kendall for a ruling, he sighed and ducked down, reappearing with his wig on. "What happened to your monocle?" James asked pointing at Kendall's monocle-less face "YOU broke it when we got into that fight by the pool. You shouldn't be aloud to pile drive someone wearing a monocle- we should put that in the book."

"Who cares?" Carlos cried impatiently "who has dibs?" James nodded along vigorous. "Neither of you do" Katie told them, popping up between them, causing all three boys to scream, "she wouldn't date either of you two dorks!"

"What do you know, baby sister?" Kendall asked voiced full of suspicion, Katie rolled her eyes "not much; her name is Lucy Stone- something you didn't know when you decided to call dibs which is classy I'm sure. She wants to be a rock star, she's eighteen and lives alone."

"Well not completely alone" Lucy agreed popping up behind them, making them all jump. She clapped her hands together "Katie told me about you guys too- Kendall, Carlos and James co-founders of a boy band."

"Vocal group" Kendall corrects her immediately "due to our various shenanigans and arrests our boss said it was best we DON'T try and market ourselves as a boy band, Big Time Rush is a vocal group."

"Arrests?" She asked with a hint of interest "oh wait- you're Big Time Rush? I've heard of you, you're music is… cute."

"She thinks we're cute" Carlos nudged James and James gave him a thumbs up. Kendall held up his hand "wait, no she didn't. She said our MUSIC was cute!"

"It is cute and catchy and fun to dance to," she gave him a slightly patronising smile "but it just doesn't rock." Kendall let out an annoyed sound and got up close to her face, "we rock! We totally rock!"

"Maybe" she said like she didn't believe it "but your music sure doesn't" Kendall moved away a little so he could gesture wildly "well yeah- well WE have a new album coming out and it totally rocks." She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow "we'll see."

"Well not that this isn't entertaining," Katie stood between them, "but we need to get the rest of your stuff."

"My car's out front"

The boys ended up carrying up a drum set, another guitar, a keyboard and a cowbell.

Lucy was actually enjoying herself, the boys from Big Time Rush weren't like anyone she'd ever met- and probably twice as thrill seeking as any rock star she'd come across. Plus it was endlessly entertaining when Kendall tried to convince her that the same band that had produced hits like 'boyfriend' and 'counting on you' could 'rock.' He obviously didn't have a very good understanding of what rock was- but she had a feeling she wouldn't mind teaching him.

They heaved the last of it out in front of her apartment; she turned to them with a grin. "Thanks guys- I think we're going to be great friends" James let out a high pitch scream and pointed at her accusingly "friendzone- we we're just put in the friendzone!" He looked around at all the instruments he'd helped carry and let out another yelp "and we helped you move in! This is awful!"

"What's the friendzone?" Carlos asked curiously, "lights" James commanded and the lights dimmed, he pulled out a torch and put it under his face. "The friendzone is a dark, cold place full of ex-boyfriend talk, rides to the airport and" he gestured at the apartment "helping her move."

Carlos let out a scream "I don't like the friendzone!" and James nodded deliberately. Kendall clapped his hands and the lights went back to normal, he smacked James over the head and turned to Lucy "don't listen to those idiots- we would love to be friends with you."

"No, no we don't" James said firmly "I don't believe in being friends with girls!" Lucy crossed her arms and Kendall snorted "oh yeah? What about, I don't know- Camille?" James shrugged "Camille doesn't count."

Carlos rolled his eyes "does to- you even made out with her and then told her you just wanted to be friends."

"After she told him it had been a heat of the moment thing and that she wasn't actually attracted to him," Kendall muttered to Lucy who sniggered. "LOOK Camille doesn't count- she's not like regular girls," he looked for confirmation and Kendall conceded, "okay, true."

"So regular rules shouldn't apply!"

"But what about your friends who have girlfriends- are you not friends with them?" Lucy asked voiced thick with doubt "it hasn't really come up- the only one of us who has ever had a serious girlfriend is Kendall!" Lucy made a motion with her hand for him to elaborate, "well don't you like…"

"Jo- her name was Jo" Kendall supplied sullenly "she left me for a country that's upside down and infested with hobbits."

"Well did you like Jo when she wasn't being a deserter?" Lucy asked James and the tall boy shrugged "we didn't see her much, she was on this show that kept her super busy otherwise she was on dates with Kendall- and we weren't aloud to come- but I guess bro's girlfriends would be okay."

"Well what about a girl who already HAS a boyfriend… would that count?" Lucy pressed and James shrugged "sure… if their off the market I guess friendship would be the only option- but what does that matter?"

Lucy kicked her door open to reveal her small apartment; it was pretty stark with the exception of a couch. On that couch was a familiar dark haired new guy eating a sandwich. "Big Time Rush and Katie," Lucy gestured to the guy who looked up from eating his sandwich to wave "this is my boyfriend Logan."

He gave James a crooked smile "I believe we already met… James right?"

******BTR******

Katie ended up recruiting Camille instead of Lucy, since she and her boyfriend were spending the day unpacking. Camille had just landed a role in 'Spy High' so didn't even realise she was breaking the law- just getting 'immersed' in the character.

Kendall stayed behind to help set up while the other two boys decided to try their luck with girls at the pool.

"So Logan," Kendall addressed the shorter boy as they worked together to move the couch. "How long have you and Lucy been together?" Logan seemed unsure but finally answered "oh well um… Lucy and I have been friends most of our lives but-"

"But we decided to take it to the next level about a year ago" Lucy butted in, moving the TV nosily before moving over to Logan and kissing her boyfriend on the cheek. "Isn't that right babe?"

"We've certainly become a lot closer this last year" he confirmed and then shooed her off back to where she was supposed to be setting up the bedroom. "So are you out here to be a rock star?" Kendall grinned, "you guys have enough instruments to start TWO bands."

"Well um- I played most of the instruments on Lucy's demos, but I'm only filling in until she can put a proper band together. She said it's important in the rock genre not to be a solo act, so until she finds a group, I'm kind of her band."

"But that's not what you want to do?" Kendall asked, the other boys body language was very closed off and unsure of himself, he hardly seemed like someone who was in a rock band. "No I intend to be a doctor," he admitted "probably a surgeon- but when Lucy asked me to move out here with her… well I could hardly say no."

"Wow so you're like a genius then?" Kendall asked enthusiastically.

"God yes" Lucy called from the bedroom "Logan has a 4.8 GPA AND he used to volunteer down at the hospital so he knows tons about medical stuff."

Kendall gave Logan an appraising look before giving him a very soft smile "and then you moved out here… you must really love her." Kendall thought about Jo, if he had loved her as much as he claimed to have… maybe he should have followed her to New Zealand. But he just couldn't outweigh all the things he would loose from that move.

"Yeah I do" Logan shoot Lucy and fond look and she made a face at him "plus it's not that big a sacrifice as your thinking- I've been living mostly independently for a good while now. It's nice to have a room mate."

Kendall looked around the shoebox apartment "well you guys are gonna get sick of each other really fast." Lucy laughed, "as long as I make room for a study area I think we'll be fine" they finally positioned the couch and sat down, Logan shrugged "I'm not that hard to please."

Lucy collapsed on top of them "argh- too tired to unpack!" she let her feet rest in Kendall's lap but Kendall quickly smacked her foot "YOU'RE tired? Logan and me are the ones doing all the heavy lifting! What have you done?"

"Hey I did things!" she cried defensively and Logan rolled his eyes "sure you did Lu only I set up most of the stuff in the bedroom when you enlisted a boy band to do the only job you had to do today."

"Vocal group" Kendall and Lucy corrected him simultaneously, they shared a smile and then Lucy got up and sat on the floor in protest of Logan's unreasonable accusations. Kendall looked over at Logan for a calculating second before he poked him in the side. "Logie" he whined, "You owe me pizza!"

"What?" Logan asked incredulously, he'd never been called Logie before. Not even by Lucy; who had a slew of other embarrassing nicknames for him. "Pizza! It's like the unwritten rule of moving, that you buy me pizza and beer!" He looked up at Logan with unreasonably big eyes and Logan scratched the back of his head and gave the tall boy a smile, "well…"

"AHahahahaha he called you LOGIE that's hysterical" Lucy laughed rolling around on the floor. Logan picked the throw rug he had draped over the couch on top of her "you shouldn't throw stones from your glasshouse Lulu."

"Lulu" Kendall snickered "that could be a porn name." Lucy stood up with as much dignity as she could muster, "yes well Kendall and Logan are girls names" she turned on her heel "come on we're going to Kendall's place."

"Why?" Logan asked but followed her, "cause we're to poor to buy him pizza, but you're pretty good at making it." Logan sighed and gestured at the door to Kendall "then lead on fearless leader.

Kendall smiled happily "awesome." He could already taste the pizza.

******BTR******

Pizza making hit a snag due to the lack of actual ingredients in the Knight's pantry and Kendall was on the phone to Camille- or Agent Milla Stark as she seemed to be going by for the day. He pretended to be her commanding officer, and told her he had a special mission for her; to retrieve pizza bases, pizza sauce and fresh tomatoes and return to base.

"So she's like an extreme method actress?" Logan asked with a grin "so you're what? Playing into her delusions then?"

"I'm not playing into anything- she doesn't THINK she's the character, but she immerses herself in roles. If she was just being Camille I'd just ask her to bring the stuff over- but as Agent Milla Stark I need to be General Specific and give her an assignment."

Logan snickered "General Specific? Oxymoron much?" Lucy was standing at the top of the swirly slide and called down "what's an oxymoron?" she slide down the slide in one deft move and landed on her butt once she reached the bottom. "You're an oxymoron," Logan muttered and Kendall giggled maddeningly.

"Hey are you making fun of me?" she called and charged at him, tackling him and tickling his sides "only always" he laughed and tried to pull away. Kendall snickered at the too and then his eyebrows creased in confusion "but seriously what's a oxymoron?"

The door swung open and a women with black hair in a trench coat summersaulted into the room. She was holding a shopping bag and slunk up to Kendall "GenErall Speceefick" she purred in a thick Russian accent, she saluted Kendall and Kendall stood to attention and saluted back. "I 'ave de package."

"Is dit all there?" he mimicked her Russian accent poorly, "Da." She turned to Logan and Lucy is suspicion she pointed a manicured finger at them "what is this? Filthy American spies- how could you be so blind, General specific!" Her accent seemed to slip a bit in her intensity.

Logan raised his hands "Нет, вы ошибаетесь, мисс Старк, я не американский шпион. Я, как мудрый работает русское правительство, я очень тесно сотрудничаем с Генеральным Конкретные по международным делам. Радуйся Родины."***

Camille and Kendall stopped and gaped at Logan openly "what?" he asked nervously "weren't we supposed to be playing along?" Camille snapped back into character but there was something extra in her smirk and she played with the top button on Logan's black button up. "Oh dhat is right" she purred "Mr?"

"Logan, um Logan Mitchell" he gave her an awkward smile, "we will meet again soon Mr Mitchell. But if we don't-" she ran her hand along the space between two of his buttons on his shirt and pulled him forward, pressing a short passionate kiss to his lips. "Remember me."

She sauntered out leaving to very shocked people and one paralyzed Logan. Kendall clapped in front of his face, "um- so that was Camille." Logan's eyes were locked on the door Camille had just sauntered through. "She… is something…"

Kendall laughed awkwardly "yeah… she's not usually… okay she IS usually that forward but she's not usually a spy- I'll talk to her." He told Lucy quickly she looked up startled "oh um yeah? I mean yes. You'd better- I don't want that Russian hussy all over my man."

Logan ghosted his fingers over his lips before he turned back to Lucy blushing, "um Lu…?" Lucy shot him a smile "don't worry about it Logan- I SAW how it went down."

He cleared his throat and picked up the bag, "let's make some pizza then, shall we?"

******BTR******

Logan smoothed out the blankets on the fold out couch and Lucy leant against the doorframe to the bedroom. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep in the bed- it's a big bed and it's not like everyone doesn't think you're sleeping there anyway…"

"No that would be improper," he glared at her "and thank you SO much for including me in this fake relationship charade you've got going on. Cause THAT'S how I wanted to start over at a new place, by lying to our new friends."

Lucy rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch "don't be like that Logie" she cooed and Logan winced at the new nickname "you know you're only pissed cause that fake Russian chick was all over you and you can't go after her now."

"That's not even it! I don't KNOW Camille but it does irk me that I'm not going to get the chance- why did you make up that stupid lie?"

"You didn't SEE Carlos and James- they were being ultra competitive and I can't HANDLE guys right now, you know?"

"Their not douchebags like your certifiable ex- well okay, James seemed like kind of a douche but you shouldn't be hiding from this." He sat back down and wrapped his arm around her "you broke up with Jonny- we moved halfway across the country away from crappy home lives and abusive parents. You've wanted this since we were eleven, just try and enjoy it okay?"

She gripped the blanket "maybe I'm not ready to be out there, at least not in a romantic capacity… PLEASE Logan, it wont be forever. Just for now…"

Logan pried her hands off the blanket and he held them close to his heart "whenever you're ready to let go of the safety blanket… I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I mean, you took me with you."

"I couldn't leave you behind L, you're my best friend" she smiled "I'm not sure how to work an oven- someone's gotta do the cooking." He laughed and shoved her and she shoved him back "okay then you're in charge of cleaning."

He got up and walked over to the bedroom, "hey Logan, where are you going?" She called out and he turned back to smirk at her, "hey I never said I was going to be sleeping on the couch."

He shut the door. Minuets later he heard banging "come on Logan! I don't wanna sleep on the couch!"

Tomorrow they would work out a system to alternate who slept on the bed but for now… revenge was sweet.

******BTR******

"Look at him flirting it up with Camille while his girlfriend isn't around," James said bitterly watching Logan and Camille talking in the lobby. "They're just talking James- they're friends" Carlos rolled his eyes "what do you have against Logan man? Ever since he moved here you've been down on him."

"It doesn't bother you that he's dating the hottest girl at the Palmwoods and is all buddy, buddy with Kendall- next think you'll know he'll be wanting to join the band!"

"I'm just not sure what I'm going to do for school Camille, I mean I'm happy that Lucy found a band but I need to be in the union if I want to go to the Palmwoods school." Logan sighed and Camille patted him "You could go to a public school... I think they have a good one near by…"

"Where I won't know anyone?" Logan asked aghast Camille smiled and patted the seat next to him. "Well maybe we can find you a small role to play… that way you can go to the Palmwoods School." Logan turned to her in surprise "you would help me?"

"Of course Logan," she grinned "we're friends right?"

"…Right" he said with a bit of regret in his voice "it's… really wonderful being friends with you." She gave him a warm look "I'm just glad Lucy is cool with us being friends, after all I did make quite an impression when we first met."

Logan sighed heavily with a dreamy expression "yeah Milla… the one that got away" he sent her a smirk "it's a shame you rapped up last week- I quite liked her." Camille smacked him lightly "perv" then gave him a saucy grin "but… if you're attached, maybe you can be my plus one to the premiere?"

"It has a premiere?" Logan asked excitedly and Camille let out a low chuckle, and leaned in and took his hand "though I could always take you to a… private screening?"

Logan sat back a little startled and then laughed, "Kendall said you were forward." Camille sent him an honest smile and slipped back into what Logan was distinguishing to be her actual personality, "and Kendall said you were loyal- that's good. I don't think I'd like you half as much if you weren't."

He cleared his throat, blush high on his cheeks "well… um are you excited for the premiere?" she flushed with excitement "God yes! It's my first real movie, like that's not straight to video crap… the offer still stands if you want to come…"

Kendall plops down between them holding three smoothies "what's going on guys?" he passes Logan a blue smoothie "check it out, they're doing his and her smoothies again!" Camille went to grab the pink smoothie but Kendall held it out of reach "no way- the pink one's mine!"

Camille shrugged and took the blue smoothie, clacking it together with Logan's behind Kendall's back. "So what were you guys talking about?" Kendall sipped his pink smoothie enthusiastically and Camille shrugged "we were talking about where Logan can go to school- since he's not in the union."

"You're not in the union?" Kendall asked in surprise, dribbling pink down his chin, "but you play all those instruments!" he sloshed his smoothie around as he exclaimed enthusiastically, Logan shrugged "sure- but I'm not getting paid to play- I need to be in a band getting regular gigs like Lucy… but I don't really want to commit to a band cause I'm not gonna wanna stay for the long haul."

"Acting is different than music" Camille piped up "one commercial keeps you golden for a year as long as you pay the union fees." Logan groaned into his hands "what I NEED is a steady paying job… it's not too bad for Lucy, she works at the coffee place during the day and gigs at night but I'm still in school and I still need to pay rent."

"What you need is a steady gig" a look crossed Kendall's face like he's had the best idea ever. "Something that will accommodate for your schooling hours AND be fun!"

"Kendall- it's a lovely thought but truly no such job exists" Logan sighed but Kendall put his arm around Logan and laughed like Logan were not quite grasping the magnitude of his awesomeness.

"Logan how do you feel about Big Time Rush's music?"

******BTR******

"Quit it" James called out in irritation as Carlos tried to rub his stomach "never, you have magic powers I MUST rub your belly for good luck." Kendall pulled them apart "that's buddas Carlos, not psychic's."

"Why is James psychic?" Gustavo boomed through the glass of their recording booth "because" Logan answered "apparently he predicted my arrival- though he theorised I would be a member of the band" he gestured at the boys "and not a member of the band" he gestured to the musicians around him.

"It's cool though right?" Kendall asked enthusiastically "you can even come on tour with us- AND you're our practice guitarist!"

"What happened to the OLD guitarist?" James asked in annoyance, "he took a sudden and unexpected fall down the steps out the back" Kendall told him brightly. "But they're only two steps" Carlos pointed out "how did he manage that?" Kendall shrugged "fate- fate wanted Logie to be on guitar!"

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY SHUT UP! Thanks to the guitarist's ANNOYING girlfriend we have created a rocking new song Paralysed which admittedly had good feedback from the initially angry mob formed when we blocked the street."

"I STILL don't see how they didn't get arrested for that," Logan muttered to the drummer who snorted.

"QUIET GUITARIST! Look so it's well tested but we still need to record the version for the CD so we're working on that this afternoon- and I want it perfect do you UNDERSTAND? PERFECT!"

Logan strummed his guitar and the song began, and Logan got the chance to listen to them sing. It was nice- Lucy had been generous to call it rock, but I think she was mostly impressed that they had played it in the middle of traffic causing a pile up just so she could hear the song on the eight o'clock news.

Lucy was getting more comfortable around the boys but every second he thinks she might be ready to call the charade quits, she gets a whiff of the cigarettes her ex smoked or would hear their song on the radio. She didn't like the idea of being on the market.

But sooner of later Logan was going to develop real feelings for Camille and she was just going to have to deal with the fallout.

There was a knock on the window and he looked up to see Lucy waving at him, he put his guitar down and realised she was fighting with Gustavo. Everyone filed out of the recording booth.

"They've been at it for hours- it's time for a dinner break, that's against union laws."

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO-"

"Actually Gustavo they ARE scheduled to have a break…"

Logan pulled Lucy away from the fray "are you TRYING to get me fired?" he hissed and she held up a bag of sandwiches "I brought you dinner jackass- and don't worry I bought them some." He opened the bag and fished out a turkey and mayo sandwich "aw- aren't you the best fake girlfriend ever."

"You better believe it."

"Did you bring us anything?" James asked hopefully walking over to them with the other guys. "Just this" Lucy fished around the bag and pulled out her hand, flipping him off "bite me James Diamond" he shot her a flirtatious look "I'd love to" and he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Dude" Logan complained and James rolled his eyes "RElax Logan- it's just me being friendly… you know like you and Camille."

Lucy raised her eyebrow at Logan and Logan raised his hands, "it's not even like that." Completely for show it was completely like that, and Lucy knew it too. Kendall nudged James hard "dude SO not cool."

"LOGAN I GOT THE PART!"

Suddenly Logan was tackled to the floor, "Camille?" he asked deliriously as Camille helped him up "sorry, sorry I'm just so excited! I was just offered the role of the vampire on HBOs new show about a werewolf and Vampire living together! It's called Something Normal a working title and guess what! I didn't even audition! They OFFFERED me the role, the writer said he had me in mind since he saw me in Spy High!"

Logan hugged her and spun her around "that's great Camille! What did your dad say?" she paused "oh- you're the first person I told I'm just SO excited!"

She looked around suddenly taking stock in her surroundings "oh um hi guys."

"Congratulations" Lucy said after a moment and hugged her "I think you'll be a great blood sucker."

******BTR*******

"Why did you rent all these questionable movies Logan?" Lucy asked sitting on the couch in her pyjamas and picked up the first movie "Mermaid cove 4, Kung fu babysitter? Logan seriously?" Logan snatched Kung fu babysitter from her "quiet you it is MY turn to choose the movies for movie night."

He busies himself with the DVD player and Lucy turns the Mermaid cove 4 over.

The mermaids are back in an all-new adventure, but it's danger under the sea as well as on land. Can Michelle (**Jessis Mich** Halloween city 3, choir boy) keep her secret? Can Rebecca (**Elisa Riley **Mermaid Cove 3) stay with her one true love Brett (**Jett Stenson** Drake from New Town High fame) and will Danielle (**Camille Roberts** Kung Fu baby sitter, Rebecca and Juliet) keep it together or let everything apart?

Enter the Magic Mermaid Cove and find out!

Lucy raised her eyebrow and then looked up where Logan was messing with the DVD player. "Missing Camille?" She asked with some amusement "what? Don't be ridiculous! Ah! It's working!"

Cheesy music started playing and Camille ran across the screen with a backpack on her shoulder on the sidewalk, she jumped up and grabbed a tree branch and swung over an innocent dog. She kept running and stole a kid's skateboard doing various tricks and outrunning mooks while trying to get to her final destination… school.

"This is terrible" Lucy told him stuffing her mouth full of popcorn "so is your music," he snapped back and Lucy snorted "touchy." Logan stole some of the popcorn and sunk into the couch "I- I heard it got excellent reviews he muttered and didn't take his eyes from the screen.

"Oh my God you're pathetic," she laughed and Logan threw popcorn at her "you know I wouldn't HAVE to be pathetic" he glared at her. She sighed, "I know you're right" she patted his arm, he turned to her and prompted her "but…" she shook her head "no but, I need to move on and you… you should be happy."

"Really?" he jumped up and then sat back down "wait… who are you moving on too?"

Lucy flushed "well… Kendall seems nice…" Logan sunk down in the couch "no Lucy you can't! I LIKE HIM!" Lucy rolled her eyes "I thought you liked CAMILLE Logan, way to be greedy!"

"You know what I meant- if you date him and dump him you'll wreck him and by friend laws I am no longer aloud to be friends with him" he crossed his arms "I have to WORK with him Lu, I'm his friend!"

"It doesn't have to be serious, I mean… he's on the rebound, I'm on the rebound…"

"No, I forbid it!" Logan threw his hands up in the air and then grabbed his coat and walked to the door "you forbid it? Logan you can't- wait where are you going?"

"To find Camille" he called out "but she's on location!" she laughed. He stuck his head back into the apartment and smirked at her "like I'd let that stop me."

******BTR******

"So let me get this straight," Kendall said in confusion, "you and Lucy were never a thing?" Logan nodded and Kendall took that as encouragement to continue "And you and CAMILLE… aren't a thing?" Logan nodded "but not for much longer if I could GET THROUGH THE BLASTED TRAFFIC!"

"So what does that have to do with you kidnapping me for this road trip?" Kendall laughed; Logan gave him a grin and patted Kendall on the knee "I'm protecting your virtue Kendall."

"My virtue was compromised?" Kendall snorted and Logan nodded gravely "yes- so I'm kind of like a hero."

"Let's hope James and Carlos can cover for me or my mum will be calling you kind of like a kidnapper."

"I also wanted you here because" Logan blushed "well you're kind of a romantic guy and I kind of need your advice." Kendall laughed, "You think I'm a romantic?" Logan nodded "Camille told me how you were with Jo." Kendall coloured "oh well… there's nothing to it. Don't be ah- big and flashy-just straight from the heart."

"And that works?" Logan asked curiously and Kendall nodded "every time."

They pulled up to the location; the scene seemed to be wrapping up so Logan bolted out of the car. A man stopped him "sir- you can't be here" Logan gave him an annoyed look "oh um- I'm a friend of Camille's I just-"

"Logan?" a girl- not Camille asked "yes?" he replied cautiously, she grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically "Oh hi I'm Jesse SaintCloud I'm Camille's co-star, she is going to DIE when she sees you here. Which is good I guess since she's playing a vampire…"

She led him to a small dressing room and leaves him to knock on the door. He spends several minuets contemplating it, trying to think what he actually has to say when the door opens.

"Logan?"

"Um hi."

"Hi."

There were no words and later there was a lot to discuss, but in that moment there was just a kiss.

Logan would always describe it as perfect- even if Camille did cut his mouth open with her fake fangs.

******BTR******

*** Russian: No, you are mistaken Miss Stark, I am not an American spy. I am like wise working for the Russian Government; I work very closely with General Specific for international affairs. Hail the motherland.

**Please Read and Review :)**


	2. Finding a soulmate

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed favourite and alerted! Okay, so when I said AU I meant it- so here is a story inspired by the following things; the webcomic patches, the movie timer and several old fairy tales. This story leans more to the side of Angst.**

When Camille was born her mother had to have an emergency C-section because her umbilical cord was wrapped abound her wrists, binding her hands together. Her father took it as a sign and named her Camille; the alter server.

Her hands are small and perfect and he turns them over in hand looking for the name that would bind her together forever with another soul. He can make out a faint word across her heart line and his heart leaps for joy but it's nothing he could actually see then.

Camille grows up in a world where it's as easy to know the name of the person who is your soulmate as to look down at her hand, and she hates that. When she's six the name finally becomes clear, her mother wept and wouldn't talk to her for a week.

Her father- the ever-understanding and gentle soul he was, took her aside and spoke to her about many things she was too young to understand. About love, and about how that small insignificant name branded on her skin would shape her life.

Mostly he spoke about how even though he would never wish her any world where she couldn't be herself and love openly and freely. That the world they lived in would be cruel to her and her soulmate and there was nothing he could do to stop that. He loved her though, but she knew that already. On the day she was born he had her name tattooed underneath her mother's name, so that she would always know.

Regardless of his intentions though that was the day she found an old pair of her mother's gloves and slipped them on, never looking back.

That was the day that Camille began to hate Hortense, just a little bit. Whoever she was.

******BTR******

"How could you? After all we've been through! You're supposed to be my soulmate" she smacked the blonde girl and drew back her hand for a second slap, but the girl caught her wrist just in time.

"Auditioning for the school play?" Jo asked with an easy smile and Camille broke character to shoot her a cheeky grin. "I didn't think you'd mind" Camille told her and Jo shook her head with a laugh "I don't, but you know how the school loves to talk."

Camille slung her arm around the girl and made the slow journey to Camille's locker- unfortunately situated nowhere near Jo's. "Let them talk- they always do" Camille sighed, but it wasn't long before the frown had slipped from her face entirely and she was grinning at her friend.

"Are you excited about being a senior?"

Jo shrugged and bit her lip, Camille was only a sophomore but she knew what kind of excitement this year was supposed be like and what kind of stress it would be on Jo this year.

The pressure was on to find the person with the right name printed inside of their hand. Most kids went straight from high school to matching agencies to try and track down their missing half.

The idea of a soulmate had always stressed Jo out so much more than anyone Camille knew. Jo pulled at her long sleeve with her hand, covering the inside of her thumb self-consciously. Like she was wearing concealer on her hand, obscuring the name almost entirely.

Jo had always been subtler than Camille in that respect. Camille had known Jo since she was assigned to be Camille's guide on the first day of freshman year. Camille had never seen the name- but she had her suspicions.

Camille still wore gloves, but it had stopped being about shame a long time ago. Now the name marked above her heart-line was a promise, not a sentence.

She still kept the name covered though; she hadn't hated the faceless girl her heart had been promised to for years. No, she was fully prepared to love Hortense, whoever she may be, but she wanted to like her first. Without the shadow of the word soulmate looming over them.

Camille stopped at her locker and untangled herself from Jo. The blonde had a far away look in her eye, but that didn't stop Camille from babbling about something even she wasn't paying attention to.  
>That's how their friendship worked, Camille said anything and everything that was on her mind and Jo listened (even when she wasn't.)<p>

"Do you think you'll get the role?" Jo interrupted suddenly and Camille blinked, startled. "Of course I will Jo" Camille said confidently (she was always confident early in the audition process.)

"They're going to want you to take your gloves off for the actual performance- that's why your understudy had to fill in for you last year, remember?" Jo told her not unkindly "what's so different this year?"

"Because my petition went through," Camille told her excitedly bouncing on her heels. "It's officially against school rules to force someone to uncover their hands, if they choose to cover them."

"Everyone thinks you're a religious nut now" Jo laughed "but it is nice that I won't have as many detentions this year for wearing concealer- it's way better than binding my hands like I used to."

"Anyway- it's not like half the student body didn't sign the damn petition anyway, so even if it's not considered 'cool' to keep it covered- people understand it's still a life choice."

"I wonder if they would be so forgiving if they knew" Jo traced the area on her thumb lightly.

Jo's soulmate was probably a girl, that was the only scrap of information Jo had ever given Camille on the subject. They had been partnered together on Camille's first week of school for that very 'sensitive' reason. Though it was understood that since they didn't have each other's name on each of their hands- it was best just to not talk about it.

"Do you start that job today?" Camille asked Jo with a sigh and a change of topic, Jo nodded enthusiastically. "The New Town cafe has never seen such an awesome waitress," Jo promised with a grin. "I'm just lucky my friend managed to get me the job in the first place- I'm going to be working some insane hours though."

"Does that mean you're not going to audition for the play?" Camille made her eyes wide and her lower lip wobble pathetically.

"Ergh" Jo raised her hand to cover her view of Camille "not the face Camille- don't do the lip thing," a small smirk crossed her face "I'm not" she lied.

Jo lowered her hand and then immediately scowled when she was hit with the full force of Camille's impressive puppy dog pout. "Fine, FINE okay you win!"

"Yay" Camille clapped her hands and jumped up and down on the spot. "This'll be so much fun- everyone knows how great you'd be."

Jo's eyes can't help but travel to her thumb and she frowns when she responds with a half hearted "yeah."

Camille wants to be an actress so she can be a fearless heroine, or a ninja princess warrior. Or maybe sometimes she's a normal girl with a normal boy's name on her hand. But not often- because that was just boring.

She wondered how often Jo played that part.

******BTR******

Camille had intended to come straight to the New town cafe after school, but drama club had held her up later than expected.

It wasn't very busy when she entered but she supposed that was the point of Jo being trained that day. She shot Jo a thumbs up before sliding into a four-person booth a kicking up her feet.

Jo had a trainee shift and would be done soon, Camille grinned to herself. She pulled out her laptop and began her favourite distraction; Hortense hunting.

Facebook and twitter were ruthlessly efficient in envying privacy to confirm matches- which is exactly why she didn't have an account with either social network. That didn't stop her from facebook stalking her favourite Hortenses in her spare time.

Her current favourite was Hortense Frances, 52 and bound to a dreary man named Erving. She had a beautiful sense of humour though and nice eyes and Camille liked to imagine life with Mrs Hortense Frances.

She pulled up another profile; Hortense Glory Stiles, 13 who loved my little pony and French philosophers. She quite proudly displayed on her home page all the finer details of her existence.

Name: Hortense Glory Stiles

Occupation: student

Spiritual practice: agnostic and obnoxious :D

Status: unbound... for now ;)

Soulmate's name: Clarance (dorky name I no but what can I do rite?)

Favourite movie: OMG where do I even start?

A guy stopped in front of her table, though she didn't bother to look up. "Good afternoon mam' I'm your sever Logan Mitchell, what can I get you?"

His voice had twinges of an accent she couldn't quite place which compelled her to look at up at Mr hello-mam-I-am-your-server-Logan.

She wasn't prepared for the eyes that stared back at her. He had a soft unassuming face, and sweet wide eyes. He gave her a little smile of encouragement and with the quirk of a crooked lip Camille was lost.

"Oh um... what?" she stuttered her face going hot, he picked up the menu laid out precariously on the table and tapped on the table with the laminated cardboard. "Your order?" he asked her with another amused crooked smile.

"Can I just get a coke please?" she asked him, feeling less vibrant just by siting near him. He nodded and wrote it down on the pad "I'll just be back in a minuet then mam."

He dipped his head at her as if he were tipping an imaginary hat in her direction. She worked up enough nerve to shoot him a sly smile and he almost stumbled in his rush to turn and run away.

Jo slipped into the seat across from her and knocked her boots to the floor in one fail swoop. "Wow, that was harder than I thought" she gave her a satisfied smile "but it'll be worth it if I can make enough money for Penn State next year."

"Why do you want to go to collage so far away" Camille complained "that's so far away from here... more importantly it so far away from me! Did you forget that I'm only a sophomore and I'll still be here?"

Jo shook her head and laughed "I'm sure when the time comes to leave you I will be appropriately devastated- but I can't stay." a look of great sadness crossed her face "I just think there is a lot of growing up that needs to be done before I can come back."

"Jooooooo you're like the most mature person I know," Camille whined "how much growing up could you possibly have to do?"

Jo just shrugged and remained coy as Logan came back to the table. "Here you go" he gave her a wide smile "oh Jo you're still here?" he turned to the blonde and the girl gave him a grin, "I'll be gone just as soon as my friend finishes her coke."

Logan gave her a curt nod "do what you like- I'm assuming that coke is on your tab then Jo." Jo turned to deny the claim but Camille did that lip think and she caved like an unstable rock. Logan laughed in amusement, "oh that's cute- my best friend does the same thing."

"Oh yeah? Camille asked brightly and Logan gave her a half shrug "oh yeah, Carlos is a guilt MACHINE when he wants to be."

He wrote down something down on his pad and slid it to Jo. "Those are your hours for the next week, they line up with mine so I can continue training you... I can't imagine what would happen if it was just you and Jett."

"Sexual harassment?" Jo guessed with a snort and Logan laughed, "probably- I think he'd hit on a tree if one caught his fancy."

"It's hard to believe you're related," Jo told him honestly "you're so... not Jett." Logan let out a laugh "yeah, well you can't choose your family… and you can't stop your dad from hiring your dead beat cousin either. I know. I've tried."

"It's going to get a whole lot more sexual harassment once he stops looking at your boobs and learns you're name" he sniggered and Jo paled. "Why would he pursue me more if he knew my name?"

"Oh- he has Jo marked on his ring finger" Logan gave her a Cheshire cat smile, "good luck with that."

And he walks away.

Camille watched him go and Jo reaches over to smack her on the arm "you're supposed to be like a lesbian or whatever." Camille rolled her eyes "and I appreciate that… but do you see my striking mystery women around?"

"Once you find your soulmate you'll never want anyone else ever again, and I don't just mean romantically" Jo warned as if she had any experience in the matter.

"I'll take your warnings under consideration."

******BTR******

Logan it turned out was a freshman, and on the hockey team while maintaining outstanding academic performance, holding down a job and juggling two needy best friends.

He was clearly perfect; Camille didn't know why it seemed like she was the first person who had noticed this.

She had taken Jo's advice under consideration and decided not to pursue him in any romantic sense. That didn't mean she couldn't admire the younger boy from a far… or up close.

"You realise its like unseasonably warm right?" Carlos raised his eyebrows at Logan, pointing at the boy's fingerless gloves. Logan glared at him and punched him in the arm, "you know why Carlos- I wasn't expecting it to be this warm or I would have just bandaged them."

"Because you don't believe genetics can predestine love blah, blah" Carlos rolled his eyes, "well are you going to help me out with my problem?" He stomped his foot impatiently "oh- so you insult me and THEN you ask me for help, nice" Logan rolled his eyes and Carlos shoved his hand under Logan's nose "yes, now stop bitching and help me find my one true love- now which one is she."

Carlos pointed over towards three girls who were seemingly walking in slow motion, effectively.

"Carlos do you know how many Jennifer's there are in the world- it's a statistical fact that if you are only looking to date girls name Jennifer you will eventually find one you feel compatible with."

"Oh yeah- well what about when she has my name on her hand Mr genius?" Carlos punctuated himself with a jab to Logan's chest who sighed and then caught the sight of someone familiar out of the corner of his eye. "Hey" he called waving her over "hey- you're Jo's friend right?"

Camille stopped pretending to be taking the world's longest drink from the water fountain and straightened out. "Um yeah, Logan right?" Like she hadn't traced the name a million times over Hortense's name until her palm started bleeding. "Right" he grinned brightly, and continued to gesture at her wildly.

"You're wearing gloves" he pointed at her leather covered hands, she raised her eyebrow "wow that was some good detective work there, Logan" she replied sarcastically. He laughed almost like it had been punched out of him and he grabbed her hand and turned it over so he could trace the inside of her palm.

She snatched her palm away, feeling unsure how to feel but he barely noticed her reaction "it's statistically impossible for millions of people to each find their soulmate- and that's not factoring in things like age differences, death and sexuality incompatibility."

She crossed her arms "I'm not a mathematical person" she told him stalely "but statistically you are correct- but I believe that if you were meant to be with someone you will be one way or the other."

Carlos laughed loudly "dude- she totally told you!"

Logan sent him a glare and then turned back to Camille, he had managed to catch her hand again "then why the gloves then?" He didn't sound offended at her differing opinion, just curious. "Just because I know the name of the person I'm going to love, doesn't mean everyone else has to. It doesn't mean I want her or am even going to know on our first meeting."

Something passed over Logan's eyes and he squeezed her hand before he dropped it, "I'm sure you wouldn't need to anyway- I imagine when you meet your soulmate… and when they meet you. I'm sure you'll just know Camille."

The first warning bell went off and Logan snapped to attention and waved them goodbye, leaving the two behind.

"So you're Camille right?" Carlos stuck out his hand and Camille took it "the girl who visits Jo every time she works?"

"It's only been a couple of times" Camille muttered darkly and Carlos laughed lightly "dude it's been like three months- I think you're around at New town café as much as I am, and I work there."

Camille had only seen Carlos once or twice but he and Logan always had their heads together when she did. Like they were two parts to completing a whole person, that with their other friend James they formed something fantastic.

"Don't take his mathematical bullshit seriously- he's been trying to disprove the marking anomaly since he was little and realised his parents didn't have each other's names on their hands."

"Wow that's… horrible" she couldn't imagine NOT finding your soulmate… or possibly stealing someone else's.

That's what brought her back on track to finding her Hortense- because Logan, however wonderful he was belonged to someone. He had since birth, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

"The only thing worse than not finding your soulmate is…"

"Not having a soulmate."

The two whirled around to find James leant up against the lockers "sorry- I wasn't eavesdropping I swear. I was just waiting for Carlos."

"I thought not being marked was a myth," Camille said eyes widening as James held up his perfectly smooth, unblemished hands. "I wouldn't feel bad," he laughed at her facial expression, "don't worry- there are a million girls out there with my name on their hand. Logan's right about one thing- eventually if you keep searching you'll find someone to love."

James gave her the bravest expression she'd ever seen on any person's face and told her, "I'm willing to search for a lifetime for that."

******BTR******

Logan sat down in the booth opposite her, and took off his apron. "I have an half an hour break," he explained, sliding a milkshake over to her "I was thinking about what you said…"

Camille stared at him blankly "um- Logan we haven't talked for months…"

He nodded gravely "it's taken that long to think about what you said… don't take it personally." She quirked a smile at the strange boy she sometimes still liked to watch (if sometimes meant all the time that is.) "You're going to have to refresh my memory then- I can't recall what profound thing I said to you."

"That if you're meant to be with someone you will… because no one ever said soulmate had to mean romantic right? So what if the name on your hand is just the person who understands you completely?"

"That sounds pretty romantic to me" she grins at him and stirs her milkshake he seemed to have given her as a token so he could start up this awkward philosophical conversation with her.

"No- okay so how about this, what if I've met someone who understands me better than anyone and they're not on my palm." Logan persists and Camille rubs her temple, it feels like he's lost his point.

"What if the person who understands me better than anyone else is the same gender as me even though I'm not gay? Or is only twelve right now? Or they died in some freak accident… what if my soulmate was a baby who died in childbirth that was never named?" His voice was slowly getting higher and higher like he couldn't quite name what his actually fear was.  
>He looked at her with such fear that she didn't know what to do with herself. So she grabbed his gesturing hands and held them tight in her own, forcing them to stay still.<p>

"Logan I don't know what you want me to say?"

"I just want-"

"LOGAN!"

The cry of his name was all the warning Logan got before a young boy barrelled into him. "Ken" his whole demeanour changed and he smiled brightly at the blonde, "what are you doing here kiddo?"

"Mum had to work today," he pointed at Jennifer- the manager of the store, and the women Carlos was currently following her around like a puppy. Logan moved over to let the small boy sit with him and Logan gestured at her "Kendall this is Camille; a friend of mine from school."

His eyes went wide "how do you two know each other" he asked curiously and Camille grinned and pointed to Jo, who was busy fending off Jett's advances. "Jo is my best friend- so I come here a lot… how come I never see you here Kendall?"

Kendall shrugged and tried to act indifferent "the sixth grade is hard- I have stuff to do." He stole a glance back over at Jo and Jett and sighed, "I can't wait till I'm old enough to work here."

"Why is that Kendall?" Logan slung his arm around him and Kendall burrowed into his side. They looked like bunny rabbits, and Camille couldn't help but be all girly and squeal-illy at the mental image.

"If I was older I could make money and help mum… and you could be my best friend Logan." He beamed up at the older boy and Logan smiled widely at him "why would you have to be older for that… I always have room for one more best friend, and you Kendall are clearly the best."

"Better than James?" Kendall asked doubtfully and Logan smirked and then leant in close to tell him in a confidential tone, "way better- just don't tell James… he'd just become irrationally jealous."

"Would you make me a milkshake?" Kendall asked sweetly and Logan checked his watch, "looks like I'm off my break anyway." He pushed Kendall gently out of the booth and then followed behind, he grabbed the boy by the middle and swung him up, placing him on his shoulders.

"Can I talk to you some other time Camille?"

She propped her head up by leaning her elbows on the table and gave him an honest smile "you can count on it."

"I will be," he promised with a certain air of amusement "I'll count on very second till then."

******BTR******

Logan brought her roses on her opening night.

Her dad had brought her blue carnations and Jo and made her a card, but Logan had bought her two-dozen roses.

They have become sort of friends now, but Logan still looks at her like he's not sure what to make of her, and she still looks at him with longing and tries to imagine what Hortense would look like.

And then he'd do something like bring her roses.

They end up sitting at the pier and trying to skip rocks into the ocean.

"No, no you need to curve your hand more" Camille laughed as another one of Logan's stones fell pitifully into the ocean. She stood behind him still laughing trying to guide his hand, but that just made his rock skipping ability even more pitiful.

"Argh I'll never get it," he cried out to the sea before toeing off his shoes so he could dip his feet into the water. Camille sent him a fond look before shucking off her shoes and following his example.

"I really did enjoy your play," he told her sincerely "two names, three hearts is my favourite play," he admitted somewhat embarrassed. Camille couldn't contain her laughter "really? But it's so… girly!"

"I like the idea that the lead might have two soulmates… that the perfect person, doesn't have to be the only person" he admitted. She patted him on the head "oh sweetie- I'm sure your soulmate will find you… why would you ever want two?"

He was silent for a moment and then in a quiet voice "because then I would get to choose."

"Would you tell me her name?" he asked finally "maybe I know her- maybe I've known her all this time and I could introduce you," he asked his voice tinged in something Camille couldn't describe.

She clutched her lace gloves tightly, and stuffed them in her lap. "No" she said strongly "I don't want to tell you" he frowned "why not?"

"Oh? Then who's on your hand? Maybe it's someone I know."

He was silent for a moment and dipped a finger into the water, wetting the wool of his glove. He flicked it with her "maybe you do" he grinned his lopsided grin at her "but I'm not the one desperate to find my match."

"You know the first time I fell in love, her name was Rebecca- she was in my year two class and she had the bluest eyes I've ever seen." He checked off with his fingers "Then in middle school I dated Andréa Sedoll, she was smarter than me and would always know exactly what to say to make me SO mad."

He wore a faded smile and it reflected in the sea.

"Last year I thought maybe I was in love with Jo… but I knew her heart was already torn from loving someone else."

Camille frowned deeply at him "why are you telling me this?" He shrugged "because… sometimes love doesn't have to be perfect or have a happy ending, it doesn't mean it's not worth anything."

"I thought I was in love with my sixth grade teacher once" she finally admitted "Mrs Baker was the prettiest women I'd ever seen and I resented everyday I would look down at my hand and not see her name."

Logan gave her a soft grin, "if you were meant to be together… would a name on your hand make any difference?"

"Of course it would Logan," she rolled her eyes and stood up "that's just the way it is" she dived off the pier and the water washed away any feeling left in the conversation.

Logan slid in after her and couldn't decide whether he wanted to drown or not.

******BTR******

Things came to a head months after school finished and Jo was packing up her car and leaving early for collage. She wrapped her arms around Logan and kissed him on the cheek "thank you so much for getting me that job- I never would have been able to afford collage without it."

"It's nothing," he told her "go away to collage, come back to me six years from now an educated woman and I'll know it was worth it."

She gave him a small smile and then fell into thick silence, "hey" he suddenly perked up "did you know that Jett found his match last week?" Jo's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously "no" she asked in a gossipy tone. "How did they meet?"

"Apparently their eye's met across in a crowded room- Jo's actually a really nice guy once you get to know him. I think he'll be good for Jett really."

Jo's eyes went comically wide and Camille directed James and Carlos who had pulled the last of Jo's stuff to the car. "What's so funny?" She asked and Jo let out a grin "Jo- Jett's Jo… he's a guy."

Camille's face broke out in a victorious smile "I knew it!"

"Could you imagine thinking your partner was the wrong sex?" Carlos laughed "I'm glad there's no confusion with a name like Jennifer!"

"You'd have to ask Jo," James shrugged and Logan elbowed him hard as Camille rounded hard on them. "What?" She turned just as sharply to Jo "tell me they don't know the name of your soulmate" the guilty face was a silent omission.

She rounded on Logan "tell me YOU didn't know who her soulmate was!"

He shrugged at her "like you always say Camille" he patted her shoulder tentatively "it's private."

That's when Kendall raced up to the car and flung himself into Jo's arm, "I thought I wasn't going to make it" he said completely out of breath and shoved a bundle of unorganised possies into Jo's hands. "Don't worry little man" Logan ruffled his hair "I wouldn't have let her leave without saying goodbye."

"I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye Kendall" Jo said quietly and she held the small boy close to her, he looked up to her with bright green eyes. "I love you" he told her and tears started running down her cheeks "I- I love you too."

"That's why I have to go" she crouched down to him and kissed his forehead "when I finish my degree you'll be all grown up… and so will I. I'll know what to do then… until then I'll still call okay?"

"Every day?" He asked and she nodded "yes every day."

He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the inside of her thumb, and when he pulled back the concealer smeared across his lips leaving the name 'Kendall' clearly visible on her skin.

"Don't forget me" he made her promise and she smiled the sweetest softest smile.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to."

******BTR******

It was after Jo was really gone and the four of them went down drinking at the pier and dipped their feet into the ocean like a night just like this one.

James had stolen a bunch of wine from his family's wine cellar, and they took turns drinking from the bottle and passing it up and down the line.

"Camille" James said quietly, "are you still mad at me?"

Camille shook her head and took the bottle so she could take a nice long swig; "no" she sighed and patted James' hair in a slightly hazy manner. "I get it" she leant her head on Logan's shoulder "we had this- this understanding not to talk about it… but I thought that's because she was having trouble coming to terms with that she was a lesbian… not a- not-"

"In for a long wait" Logan cut across her, Carlos shakes his head sadly "I can't imagine knowing your soulmate and not being able to be with them- she must be devastated."

"Think about Kendall- who meets their soulmate at twelve- he's never going to have a normal relationship. He'll just wait for her and then probably marry her straight out of high school."

"Yeah but think of all that time they'll get to KNOW each other- six years is a long time to know someone" Camille said wistfully, "most people marry their soulmate three months after meeting."

"It's better than never marrying your soulmate at all" Logan said suddenly sober, Camille wrapped her arm around him "aw honey- you'll find her."

"I don't doubt it" he told her darkly before downing the rest of the bottle.

James stood up suddenly "oh God look at the time!" He grabbed Logan up from under the arms and hoisted him up "I promised Logan's mum I'd have him home by eleven- I swear sometimes it's like we're dating."

"Logan's mum doesn't car-" Carlos started but was quickly stopped mid sentence when James kicked him in the back. "You two stay- I'm sure you'll have fun."

"I wanna stay" Logan slurred insistently, "no you don't- you're going to come home with me and I'm going buy you a kebab."

"I thought you said you had to take him home" Camille said suspiciously, James nodded franticly "yeah- MY place, his mum just doesn't want him to stay out late, oh gee look how late it's gottagobye."

James dragged Logan off and Camille and Carlos watched them go. Camille sighed heavily "what's wrong with Logan?"

Carlos shrugged "he's been weird- talking about the soulmate phenomenon a lot, I think he's worried he'll die alone."

"He'd never die alone" she said confidently and skipped a loose rock across the water; she peered down in her reflection and from the light it was almost like Logan was peering back at her.

"But I understand the fear- I think I'm going to die alone too."

******BTR******

Camille started to date a girl named Jennifer shortly after Jo's departure, much to the distaste of Logan and Carlos.

They hold hands and go to movies and museums and Camille doesn't think about it much. Not even when she's tracing the name James on the girl's hand.

Camille is tired of soulmates- because they just seem to ruin everything. She thinks of her friend who she won't probably see for six years. She thinks of the twelve year old she left behind, and how incredibly fucked it was that one day Jo looked up while walking past a playground and met her soulmate. And how it was the most horrifying moment of her existence.

It had been better when Jo thought her soulmate was a girl- it had been uncomfortable for Jo for the obvious reasons but anything was better than... this.

That was the thing about the mark, it wasn't just an ugly tattoo. You knew them when you saw them, apparently thoughts of them consumed you until you could barely function. It wrecked marriages and could make you happy or miserable.

And everybody is just stuck on pause until the moment you meet him or her.

Camille isn't in pause anymore- and she's done waiting quietly and patiently.

She catches Jennifer kissing James outside jennifer's house. And she leaves without a word. James had kissed every girl at school with his name on her hand and he had told her in a fit of momentary depression that he never felt anything. Not once.

She commends his dedication to a hopeless cause and forgives him after three days of grovelling.

Then she dates Sarah, Mark and finally Hortensia.

The name is so similar it hurts but that doesn't stop Camille from taking the girl's hand to cover the name Allison with her thumb.

Then after Logan doesn't call her for three weeks she goes into a blind panic about it.

Logan had been down lately but he'd never just stopped talking to her… he had become her best friend and she hadn't even realised. Every second he decided to not call her she felt like a part of her was ripping from the inside out.

… She was in love.

She hadn't realised and now it seemed so obvious. So pathetically obvious.

Of course she was pining after someone she couldn't have because she couldn't decide wether she wanted her hypothetical soulmate.

And then there was the way he made her laugh… and the way he only smiled on one side of his face. The way he listened to her, and challenged her… and CARED about her.

Well fuck.

******BTR******

Logan showed up outside her door exactly fourteen months after they met.

His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he stared up at her with those big brown eyes, and gave her one of those lopsided smiles that made her knees weak. "Sorry I haven't called… I wanted to but..."

"It doesn't matter," she told him quickly "I'm just glad you're here" she pulled him inside.

She sat him down on the couch and then paced behind it. Where should she sit? Would be sitting next to him like she wanted (like she REALLY wanted) be to forward? Or would sitting too far away give him the wrong impression? What impression did she want to give him anyway?

She had given up on Hortense- whoever she was. She had caused Camille more heartache than she could ever bare, and the way she loved Logan felt better than any idea of the mystery girl ever did.

Soulmates existed in fairytales and for once, Camille wanted to live in the real world. Where she and Logan could fight and make up, that he could make her laugh so hard she 'd cry, that they could sit and talk for hours… she didn't want a perfect match for her.

She just wanted Logan.

"Do you remember our first conversation?" Logan asked and Camille nodded, finally taking a seat on the couch at a modest distance. "You told me you didn't believe in the soulmate phenomenon."

He had waited months for her to notice him properly and then after that conversation it had taken him months to talk to her again.

"I was lying… from the moment we had that conversation, I knew, just KNEW that it was real… that my soulmate was out there."

Her heart fell in her feet. He had come here to tell him he had met the one, the girl with the name he kept so carefully guarded behind gloves.

"T-then the next time we spoke… we talked about it again" he told her faintly "I asked you- what you thought about all the people that were destined to not find their soulmates… but would search their whole lives anyway."

Her shoulders tensed like she was waiting for a blow and Logan put his hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away. He grabbed one of her hands and held it close. "Camille" he said softly "look at me… look at me PLEASE."

Her head shot up at the sound of desperation in his voice "I- I have to finish this."

He was shaking so bad that he looked like an old piece of machinery about to fall apart, or a well loved book falling apart at the seams.

"W-what I wanted to ask you was… w-what if you find the one you love… and you know they'll never love you back?"

"Logan, why are you doing this?" she snapped her voice breaking as badly as his was and he sighed resting his head in his arms and mumbled something she can't quite hear.

"What if none of that matters and you find that person anyway- they've reincarnated under a new name or she still appears before you like a beam of light?"

"L-Logan?" she finally said what she had been so afraid to admit to herself "have you met your soulmate?"

He stood up abruptly and tore off his gloves and placed his right hand over her heart, it's so quick she didn't even have time to register the motion before he's holding out his hand for the whole world to see.

Marked down his lifeline is the name; Camille.

"What if your soulmate already belongs to someone else?"

She clutched his hand to her chest and tears streaked down her face, "no."

His heart broke.

"No- I mean I love you, I love you I love you I love you so much."

He was sobbing now too and he pulled her close and it was like she was made to be in his arms.

******BTR******

It was hours later when they were more composed that she stared him in the eye and told him that she would never love another person.

"Oh Camille" he tucked a strand of her hair "one day you'll meet that girl, the one on your hand and I wont stand in your way. I trust that love means I will never want you to feel like you don't have a choice."

She pulled off her long silk gloves and pressed her hands to his heart to mimic the movement he'd done earlier. "Every part of me loves you" she promised "don't let anything… especially not my stupid hands tell you other wise."

He held her hands over his heart and he closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

Then he flipped over her hands and looked down, there mocking him- across her lifeline was the name Hortense.

He stared at it without moving, not even blinking. She tried to pull away but his hands were encased around her wrists.

"Camille" he said slowly "do you remember exactly what you said to me about soulmates the first time we spoke about it."

"Um- I- I said that if your destined to be with someone you will… I still mean that" she said softly and meaningfully.

"No- I mean you said when you and your soulmate met you didn't want to know- you said you wanted her to like you before she had to love you."

"Logan things have changed" she pleaded and she tried to pull closer to him but he stopped her.

"Did you know when I was born my parents thought I was going to be a girl?"

The question was so out of left field that she stopped trying to pin him to the ground and prevent him from leaving. "Um no but sweetie how is that rel-?"

"My mum had a name all picked out and when I came out a boy she was SO disappointed" he continued as if she hadn't said anything. "She spoke to the nurse and went through the name she had picked out anyway."

"I guess Logan can be considered a unisex name- you know I hadn't considered…"

"No" he said sternly and he smiled lighting up his face "she named me Hortense Mitchell."

Her heart stopped.

"My father was furious… and four hours later he had it legally changed to the name they had planned for me if I was a boy."

"Logan" she whispered like a prayer.

**Please Review **


	3. Finding a personality

**Author's Note: Okay my first request fill! HalfJillHalfJack's request was for a personality switch for Logan and Camille. I said yes without realizing how incredibly difficult it would be for my cannon loving heart. I ended up keeping their ambitions and dreams the same, but how the other person would approach them.**

**I have two other requests to fill for this story but feel free to PM me if you have a request. And thank you all for your lovely reviews.**

Logan kept his book high, letting his eyes travel above the pages and onto his unsuspecting target. She stared back and gave him a short awkward wave. Okay... maybe she wasn't SO unassuming.

He shoved his head back into his book with a giddy smile on his face. He braved to look up again, but now she was talking to Kendall. Logan screwed up his nose. Kendall was one of Logan's best friends but he was ultra competitive with everyone about everything! Logan KNEW he shouldn't have been so vocal about his attraction (see: undying love) for Camille.

His friends mostly took his feelings for Camille as a joke because he was so passionate about it. But that's just how Logan was- when he liked something, he was always willing to put himself wholeheartedly into it. Logan didn't believe in doing things by half.

He didn't JUST study- he sat there until he absorbed the information. He didn't just enjoy singing, he perfected his vocals in each song long after his two other less committed band mates (the two that weren't James, obviously) had passed out from exhaustion.

And he didnt just like Camille- it had been love at first sight... okay maybe not FIRST sight, but the more he got to know her, the more he realised that there was never going to be another girl after Camille.

Because Logan never bothered to feel anything lightly or slightly.

Logan threw his book down and stood up sharply. Kendall was still wiggling his oversized eyebrows at her and Logan could feel his body trying to will himself into action. Logan suppressed the urge.

He knew from countless observations (and being forced to listen to James' ranting) that Kendall would only get worse if he reacted- Kendall lived for the reaction. He knew Kendall would never do anything to hurt him... that didn't mean he wouldn't relish the thought of making Logan loose his cool. So Logan had taught himself at a young age to let the things Kendall did run off his back.

Logan sighed and looked up again to find Kendall staring back at him, Logan gave a small wave and the blonde grinned widely and walked over.

"You were talking to Camille" Logan told him with a frown (he'd never been very good at the whole masking his emotions thing) and Kendall rolled his eyes. "Yeah about you- I'm trying to be your wingman" he responded easily, even if Logan knew it was blatant, blatant lies.

"You cant be my wingman- James has always been my wingman" Logan told him bluntly and then regretted it when a flash a genuine hurt crossed Kendall's face. "I mean- you're not a BAD wingman" Logan lied because Kendall really, really was terrible at it, "just untested, I usually let James handle that kind of stuff."

Kendall fell down into the next pool chair and creased his eyebrows in annoyance "why is that? I'm supposed to be your best friend."

"You are" Logan told him easily, James was Logan's room mate and wingman and occasional confidant but he never really held a candle to Kendall when it came to stuff like being a good friend (except for his unfortunate competitive streak.)

"You're such a people pleaser" Kendall rolled his eyes crossly "I can never tell when you're being genuine." Logan shot him a confused look "I'm always genuine... I have a policy about that."

Kendall let out a laugh and ruffled his hair "whatever you say buddy- so do you want to hear what Camille thinks about you?"

Logan nodded eagerly and leaned forward. "She's not sure you're into her," Kendall told him with a face that suggested he thought it was ridiculous.

"What?"

Kendall shrugged and Logan ran his hands threw his hair "have I been too subtle?"

"Hell no" Kendall laughed "you sent her a long stem rose everyday for a month after you decided you loved her." Logan wanted to point out that one didn't 'decide' to be in love you simply were, but he wasn't sure whether Kendall was teasing him or not so he just nodded in frustration. "My grade point average has slipped by two fractions since we've met- she's the first person who's ever distracted me from school."

"Two fractions less is still an A+ Logie," Kendall snorted and Logan shoved him with a grin. "So what? It's not love unless I'm on a B?"

Kendall let out a wide grin "yeah- Jo has me on a C maybe even a C-" he sniggered "it's okay though Logie, we can't ALL be hopeless romantics."

"You were averaging a C before you met Jo" Logan snorted and they both turned to look at the blonde in question. She was stretched out on a deck chair in a modest bathing suit and board shorts; she lifted her sunglasses and waved at them.

"Argh! Why doesn't she want to date me? !" Kendall moaned and Logan patted him on the head with mock affection. "Maybe she still feels loyalty to her pretend boyfriend?"

Logan had been the only guy out of the four friends not to go after the pretty blonde girl- he had already entered 'the pineing' stage of his feelings for Camille (or at least that was what James had so heartlessly called it.) He had struck up an odd sort of companionable friendship with her, and Kendall was there to pump him for information after they spoke.

He tried not to make a habit of speaking to her though. Camille obviously thought him uninterested and if she saw him talking to another girl she might get the wrong impression.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Kendall asked in exasperation watching Logan's attention flicked back to the pretty brunette. "Don't be ridiculous- one doesn't just ASK out Camille Roberts."

"Are you telling me you've never even asked her out? But you're so... forward!"

Logan shot him a dirty look "I'm enthusiastic in my pursuit thank you very much and no. I haven't" Logan looked down at his hands and bit his lip "what if she says no?"

Kendall stood up and yanked Logan up with him.

"What would you normally do if you were asking a girl out?" Kendall quizzed him and Logan shrugged "roses? Candy? The will you go to the dance with me frisbee?"

"The will you what frisbee? What, you know what never mind" Kendall shook his head and Logan gave him a sly smile "good- cuz me and James patented that."

"How would you say it?" Kendall asked frustrated "say what?" Logan asked confused.

Kendall let out a frustrated scream and grabbed Logan by the shoulders "Logan" he said seriously "repeat after me."

"Camille"

"Camille"

"Will you go out with me?"

"Camille, will you go out with me?"

"Yes."

The both whipped around to find Camille standing behind them, her head bowed with a small smile on her face. Logan's eyes went wide and his whole face went red "w-what?"

"yes- I mean um I'd love to go out with you... I was worried you were never going to ask..."

Logan's face lit up and he pumped his fist in the air "yes? YES!"

He rounded on Kendall with a giant grin "did you plan this?"

"Nah- but that would have been pretty sweet."

******BTR******

Camille was walking around on air, she didn't even care that her smile made her look ridiculous. Logan- the cutest guy at the Palmwoods, had just asked her out on a date... well sort of...

She was happy either way.

Camille knocked on the apartment door and stood back patiently. She twitched her fingers and tried to think back to the hours of research she had sunk in human body language for acting.

She let her arms to fall down to her sides and kept her body open in the door's direction. She thought about the way she was smiling... would it appear friendly? Or did it seem overbearing? She lessened the upturn of her lip a little and pulled her bottom lip in by a fraction.

Jo opened the door, surprise evident on her face.

'Her mouth slightly slack and eyes widened from the bottom eyelids only' she catalogued the expression before tweaking her expression to match one of those open smiles Jo occasionally used. "Hi Jo" she gave her a short wave.

"Camille?" Jo said and her mouth set on a smooth thin line, Camille liked the way it changed Jo's face. She wanted to mimic it until she could create it on command but Stephanie had told her that tended to freak people out. So Camille would have to settle with making faces at the mirror when she got home.

"Right- as you may or may not have heard I have a date with Logan Mitchell this Saturday."

Another look crossed Jo's face but Camille couldn't decipher it (though was dying to.) before she settled for a casual indifferent mask "oh, is that why he was dancing like a spastic in the lobby?"

Camille blushed darkly and a goofy smile crossed her face, it was nice to think a guy would be that excited to go on a date. Even if that guy was Logan.

"I thought you weren't that into him though- you said that he was too... odd for you."

Camille shrugged; Stephanie had urged her to say yes to him. He was really cute and very interested- Stephanie told her it could be an adventure.

Camille just felt a little nervous because Logan was very... vocal in is admiration, and while she was sure he wouldn't be opposed to taking it slow. She worried he would put too much pressure on the first date- which is where Jo came in.

"So- I want to double date."

Jo's face slipped into another lovely look of shock, but Camille didn't stop to study it. She was on a mission, "yes" she said firmly.

"Shouldn't you ask... I don't know? One of your friends to do it?" Jo asked and Camille grinned brightly "we're friends" she told her. Camille looked down and missed Jo's expression of disbelief and annoyance... well maybe that was for the best.

"I thought the pressure might be off if you and Kendall accompanied us on the date."

"I'm not dating Kendall" Jo emphasized with a small sharp hand gesture and Camille was confused. "But- he sang you that lovely song..."

"So did James and Carlos" Jo reminded her in annoyance "yeah" Camille laughed "but Kendall was the only one who meant it! You could see it in his eyes."

Why wouldn't Jo want to date Kendall? He was really nice and never made Camille feel uncomfortable like Logan sometimes did. Camille had always been attracted to people who took charge (something Logan and Kendall both had in common) but the thing that held her back from liking him was...

She liked Logan more.

Her face heated up and her happy smile was back.

"So will you do it?"

Jo nodded sharply "go on a date with Logan and Kendall? Yeah. Actually I'd love too."

Camille hugged her excitedly before pulling back quickly "oh um sorry" she laughed awkwardly. It was so much easier knowing how to react to other people when she had a script.

"Meet in the lobby at eight?"

"Sure, I can't wait."

******BTR******

"Why is he trying to replace me?" James glared at Kendall intently, and Carlos rolled his eyes and chucked down his helmet magazine. "How is that?" he asked and then immediately regretted it- he'd really walked into it.

"Kendall has replaced me as a wingman! He got Logan a date with Camille AND he somehow convinced Jo to go out with him so the four of them can go on a double date! It's madness!"

"He's not replacing you," Carlos told him mimicking the same soothing tones Logan would usually be using to calm him down. Keeping James in line was sort of Logan's job description- something he only shirked if he was knee deep in his latest obsession. Whatever it was.

Logan's attention on any one thing (that wasn't school related) was limited to about a month. There had been that awful two weeks where Logan had become uninterested in the band, which had taken a lot to push through.

Camille wasn't just a latest obsession though- Thant made Carlos nervous. The possible consequences to their friendship were terrifying- Carlos didn't want to loose Logan as a friend.

"Kendall just wanted to help Logan out," Carlos said finally and their eyes shifted to where Logan was absorbed in a science book.

Logan was always strange when it came to school- he didn't seem to ENJOY studying but forced himself too. Logan had once stressed the endorphins rush he got from knowing things others didn't when Carlos had asked about.

"Logan needs a lot of help when it comes to reading girls" Carlos sniggered. And a smirk broke out over James face ('FINALLY' Carlos thought quietly) "you're right of course- Logan's still gonna need my help preparing for his date!"

Carlos slapped his hand to his face "SO not what I meant James."

No one had ever helped Carlos with girls- well... Logan had TRIED but it had ended in crying and Carlos refused to speak to Logan for a week.

Kendall had also attempted to help but Carlos ended up making KENDALL upset. Carlos shouldn't have called him the worst wingman in the history of wingmen but Carlos maintained it to be the truth even after Logan had tackled him for hurting Kendall's feelings.

Carlos really didn't understand how someone could be that bad when they were so good talking with girls. Kendall without a doubt always shot himself in the foot when trying to get a date though (for himself or anyone else.) Carlos thought it was a real shame though cause Kendall would probably be the best boyfriend in the history of ever if anyone gave him the chance.

Carlos maintained that same feeling about himself; though people usually laughed and patted him on the head when he vocalized this.

"...James" Carlos said hesitantly "Logan's going to be in a relationship after this weekend right?"

"GOD I hope so- could you imagine the ensuing bitching and moping if Camille decided they should stay friends." James actually laughed and both were instantly reminded of Logan's incredibly flamboyant sulking in freshman year when he TIED for first in the science fair with Lenore Reynolds.

"So maybe... I mean if you're not busy" Carlos fumbled and James sent him an amused look "spit it out Carlos."

"Doyouwannabemywingmanmaybe?" Carlos asked eyes cast down and cheeks fire truck red, this might just be the most intensely humiliating experience of his life.

Comprehension dawned on James face once he had worked out what Carlos had actually asked. "Oh my God YES! Why did I never think of that?"

James grabbed Carlos' arm with intense enthusiasm and pulled his arm until he related loudly, "to the pool!"

Logan watched them over the top of his book before turning to Kendall "hey Ken, do you think Carlos is trying to replace me?"

Kendall shrugged not looking away from his video game "dunno- probably?"

******BTR******

Kendall had Jo's rapt attention for the first time ever as he recounted a story about trying to help Logan with his science project and accidentally blowing up a section of the Mitchell's garage.

The date was going really well and not just for him.

Logan had only complimented Camille for about ten minuets (a personal best for him) before he started ranting about recently having his world shattered by his favourite mathematician. Who turned out to be a neo nazi feminist.

Camille seemed to be enamored with his odd choice in dinner conversation and allowed Logan to explain to her in great detail who Christina Nichi actually was.

Kendall had a sneaking suspicion she may actually already know of the women Logan was so passionately referring to. Because unlike Logan; who was merely passionately intelligent Camille had a genius quality to her. Kendall had observed it in one of her 'in character' moments when she was up for an audition as a math nerd and she actually researched and gained and good understanding of quantum physics; even though she only had two speaking lines.

It was things like that, that made Kendall suspect the she and Logan were perfectly matched.

As they were both equally insane.

Kendall almost realised too late that Logan's rant had developed into the actual recount of how he had met the mathematician. Kendall had to quickly squash the topic (Logan had made her acquaintance in drag- which Camille might like because she appreciated amercing ones self into a character but Kendall didn't want to chance it.)

So now they were talking about some of the more wackier plans Kendall had conned Logan into helping him with (Logan was usually up for anything which made them a scarily efficient mischief making machine.) this was always a crowd pleaser and it seemed to have finally caught Jo's attention who previously had looked board at his attempts to talk to her.

"Why were you trying to help Logan with his science experiment? I doubted he needed your help" Jo asked, eyes flicking over to Logan then back to Kendall. Logan gave him the thumbs up and then turned so he would look like he was still paying attention to the conversation rather than just staring at Camille.

"He psyched himself out because this girl that had it out for him made a bet that if she beat him he would have to-" Logan quickly covered Kendall's mouth and kicked him hard on the leg. "THAT'S enough of that story" Logan gritted through his teeth.

"Did you loose then?" Camille laughed and Logan went bright red "NO" he practically yelped "we TIED after I had to REDO my entire project when Kendall accidently pressed the self destruct button."

Jo and Camille shared a look before Jo bit her lip "Logan… why did your science project have a self destruct button?" Logan sighed and rubbed his temples "there is a subsection of the law of 'creation of self-sustaining energy lasers' that stated that you MUST include a self destruct button to any high powered laser, time portal or doomsday device."

"Logan's project had all three" Kendall chirped and Camille let out a small giggle "that sound like you." Logan sent her a beaming smile "THANK YOU- the judges ended up marking me down for inappropriate use of uranium."

"Oh um yeah" Jo agreed and then leant over and patted Logan awkwardly on the hand "and you were following the law… which is nice?" Logan shot her a wide grin in return and she gave him a more confident smile back. Kendall beamed at them and slyly slung his arm over the back of Jo's chair- pleased that his best friend and hopefully future girlfriend were getting on so well.

Jo didn't notice that much and turned her attention back to her food, while Camille started to natter on a new role she was up for and Logan asked appropriate questions in relation. Every once in a while he would throw in a random inappropriate question to watch Camille's face light up in surprise and would bask in the laugh that would follow accompanied by her gentle teasing.

The shy slightly awkward nature of her would slip away and she shone with confidence. Her face adorn with a not unkind smug smile of accomplishment when she spoke of her acting.

When Kendall waxed on about Jo to Logan; Logan would often compare the two girls saying that Jo kept everything close to the vest in comparison to Camille. Kendall assumed Logan liked not having to second guess himself with her, even wearing her most impenetrable mask Camille read like an open book to Logan.

And he loved every single part of her.

Kendall sighed and slipped his hand into Jo's and he smiled softly when she barely flinched at the contact. He grinned widely when she didn't pull away from him- he wanted so badly to look at someone and feel half of what Logan conveyed whenever he looked at Camille.

******BTR******

Logan was sitting on the park picnic table with several pieces of paper strewn and screwed up around him. His head was bowed and a grimace passed over his face. "Dear Camille" he muttered under his breath "I love the way- NO I like the- okay no I LOVE the way you…"

"Are you alright?"

Logan's head shot up and Jo stared back at him with an amused smile and her head cocked. "Oh it's you" Logan left out a breath of relief, Jo scrunched up her nose "gee thanks for that Logan." He rolled his eyes, "oh you know that's not what I meant."

She slid into the bench next to him and picked up a scrunched up piece of paper and smoothed it out despite Logan's vehement protests.

"Time stands still, beauty and oh she is- Logan are you trying to write poetry and failing?"

"I'm failing a lot," Logan moaned "I stooped to stealing music lyrics and I was so ashamed I tried to burn that one," he pointed to the singed corner. "Plagiarism is apparently less flammable than you would think."

"Well what about this one" Jo picked up one sheet looking slightly less damaged then others. "When no words come to mind, I think of you every time. I've lost myself is your memory so you keep me speechless… Logan this is… sweet."

"It's terrible I know- I thought I could overcome my natural lack of English skills with enthusiasm and a sparkly pen. He held up a sparkly purple pen with purple feathers protruding from the top, she let out a small giggle "well… it IS very shiny."

Logan groaned and put his head in his hands, and Jo patted him comfortingly on the head. He leaned into her hand a little before looking up at her with sad doe eyes "Jo" he whined "why is expressing feelings SO hard?"

Jo gave him a soft smile "I don't know Logan…" she pulled away from him and he sat up "well lets think about this is a more logical way and less… Logan way." She cheered and he brightened up "what are you writing the poem for? Extra credit for English? I know you're getting like a B there."

Logan let out a mock gasp "I am NOT getting a B, it's not a final grade until I've negotiated an 5 point difference!" Jo laughed as though it had been ripped out of her and Logan beamed "anyway it's not for class- it's for Camille. Our week-a-versary is tomorrow and I wanted to give her a poem to prove my undying affection."

Jo's smile faltered, "Well… that certainly is a gesture" she traced the random words on the page before gripping the paper tightly. "It WOULD be- if I could find the words to say."

"Maybe something simple… maybe nor something as bold as a poem- you don't want to scare her off." Jo said finally and patted his shoulder "I mean- I don't always think you guys match up and this… this might just prove it when you want to be hot when she's only prepared to be lukewarm."

"I could be lukewarm" Logan mumbled and stared down at the papers, Jo let out a small laugh "oh Logan, you're never lukewarm."

"Speaking of lukewarm" he drawled and looked up at her calculatingly "you haven't called Kendall since last week."

"I- I don't think it'll work" she face broke into a complex bevy of emotions "he's very sweet but… I don't think…"

"That's probably for the best" he told her confidently "I don't think you would have been a good match, it was sort of wrong seeing you two together."

Jo's eyes lit up with something "wrong?" Logan shrugged and turned back to his poem "I still think I should write the poem- what rhymes with 'Love' Jo? Glove? Dove? Muve? Is muve a word? Jo? Jo?"

She snapped out of her daze "don't use love" she said finally "you don't want to send the wrong message… try darling or dearest… best not to write her name either."

"Why's that?" he asked scratching his head "because what rhymes with Camille?"

"Good point," Logan nodded sagely and she gave him a small smile "oh! Remember to give me a copy- I'd love to see what you come up with."

"Of course- oh I've got like a thousand good ideas now!" 

"I'll leave you to it" she grinned and stood up taking the crinkled copy of Logan's poem with her tight in her fist. He was writing a new one anyway, he wouldn't need it right?

When Jo was far enough away that Logan became a blur of dark on the landscape she pulled out her phone and dialled a number while tracing her free hand on the words Logan had neatly scrawled on the page.

"Kendall? Listen… would you like to go out?"

******BTR******

Jo and Kendall tried all the usual things that couples would do, but couldn't strike up a rhythm of conversation that didn't fall flat. They didn't seem to have much in common (besides their looks- not that either of them would bring that up) but they both seemed to be trying to push through that.

"It's okay if you don't like hockey," Kendall said desperately and Jo gave him a wane smile "oh? I thought you'd be more horrified…"

"Logan didn't like hockey at first either" Kendall told her like it was highly confidential and she leaned in and giggled a little "really? But you guys always seem SO into it!"

"Yeah well… when I first met Logan- and keep in mind you can not tell a SOUL about this" he told her seriously. She nodded seriously but a light smile played over her features "he used to do figure skating" he told her with a giant smirk. Jo let out a choked laugh "what? NO WAY?"

"I kid you not" he grinned and they stopped walking once they hit the smoothie cart, he untangled his arm from her. She felt a little twinge of loss at his warmth and gave him a broader smile "do you want a smoothie?" he asked hopefully and she nodded and gave in to another giggle when he whooped with excitement.

He came back with a pink and blue smoothie. She reached for the pink but he held it high out of her reach "the pink one's mine" he told her cheekily and she begrudgingly took the blue one. She didn't really like the taste of raspberry- there was nothing objectively wrong with it; she just didn't want it when there was strawberry available.

Not that strawberry was available.

She took a hard long sip of her smoothie and then doubled over with pain at the sharp pain in her head. "Oh brain freeze, huh?" he rubbed her back and she clutched her head letting the smoothie clatter to the ground in front of her. Kendall led her over to a picnic table and she sat down blindly.

It took her a few minuets to realise exactly 'which' picnic table she was sitting at but the pain was back- but this time not in her head.

"You okay honey?" Kendall asked her sweetly with large imploring eyes and she felt physically sick "I just… don't feel so good" she muttered and let Kendall pull her in to rest her head on his chest.

'_Heart beats fast, colour and promises. How to be brave? How to-'_

Her phone sings indicating she has a message and she fumbled to open it.

'**what r u doin? I thought u an Ken wernt happenin? –L'**

Jo frowned, as if Kendall and Jo hadn't been together for two weeks- maybe this was the first time Logan had noticed though…

"I think this might be a mistake," she muttered and Kendall's ears perked up at the sound of her voice.

It was never my intention to hurt you.

I thought it might hurt him…

******BTR******

"Everything is… nice" Camille said with a small smile and Stephanie rolled her eyes "it's not supposed to be… nice" she emphasised the word with a certain level of dislike. "When you're dating someone… you're supposed to FEEL something when you're dating someone or what's the point?"

Camille jumped off her bed and paced the floor "I DO like him… I'm just not sure what it's supposed to feel like. Is it normal to be in a relationship and not miss them all the time when they're gone? Logan says he misses me… that he's ALWAYS thinking about me…"

"But you're not always thinking about him" Stephanie finished for her, then shrugged "so dump him."

"NO!" she cried vehemently "I LOVE being with Logan- and not just cause he's always so nice to me" she glared at Stephanie when she opened her mouth; Stephanie shut her mouth with an audible snap. "He makes me want… want to be the girl he sees in me- when he looks at me, he sees something wonderful."

"You are something wonderful" Stephanie insisted and Camille shot her a grin falling back on the bed and let Stephanie stroke her hair. "You don't want to lead the poor boy on- look at how well that worked out for Jo and Kendall."

They both winced, Jo and Kendall- their brief fling hadn't ended well and managed to upset a lot of people.

Logan had been particularly upset about the whole thing, repeatedly ranting that he had talked to Jo and specifically told her NOT to get together with Kendall. Camille had an uneasy feeling about the way Logan felt so betrayed by Jo's behaviour.

Jo and Logan were better friends since Logan and Camille started dating- apparently he felt freer to hang around girls now that he knew Camille wouldn't get the wrong idea.

But she was getting the wrong idea.

"I'm going to call Carlos" she said suddenly and Stephanie took in an sharp intake of air in her excitement "what why?"

"I want him to come over," Camille said ignoring the puddle of giddy schoolgirl her friend was reduced to at the mere mention of her crush. Out of all the big time rush boys that weren't Logan, Camille felt closest to Carlos. Or at least he was the only one she had the number to. Carlos had everyone's number. He was a people person- Camille admired that.

Carlos rushed over at her '911' style message and was surprised to find Camille pacing dents into her floor.

"What's wrong Cami?" He asked immediately assessing the situation, it looked like boy trouble but Logan hadn't done anything. He never did anything wrong when he was with Camille- it was a little frustrating.

"I'm worried about Jo" Camille said finally.

"Me too" he agreed instantly "she seems so sad since her break up with Kendall- and Kendall's even worse! He wont troll for girls at the pool with me or nothing!"

"That's not what she meant," Stephanie said with a hint of sourness to her voice, and Carlos jumped at the sound of her voice. "H-hi Steph" he said shyly and Stephanie's face broke into a shy smile. They stared at each other long enough that Camille rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in front of Carlos' face.

"Do you think Logan wants to break up with me?"

"Are you kidding? He wants to MARRY you" Carlos laughed at the absurdity of the question "he hasn't looked at any other girl since you guys started dating."

"He looks at Jo" Camille pointed out and Carlos' eyebrows creased "when I said he never looks at other girls I meant… what's that word? Figuratively? He does have to look at people when he talks to them…"

"I know you meant figuratively," Camille said softly and Carlos laughed "man! You two really ARE perfect for each other! You're both so paranoid! Logan is afraid you might have feelings for KENDALL!"

"Kendall?" Camille scrunched up her nose "why would I have feelings for Kendall?"

"Exactly."

"So you think I'm being paranoid?" Camille asked and Carlos grinned "of course."

******BTR******

That's when things started to go horribly wrong.

"C-Camille" Logan said softly, approaching her at the pool where she was learning her lines "I need to talk to you." His eyes were lined with red and he had a nasty bruise under his eye.

"Oh my God! Logan what happened to your face?"

"Kendall punched me in the face- that's not important right now" he waved it off and grabbed her hand "I have to tell you something." She put her script down and looked up and his warm brown eyes- she'd never seen him look quite like this. It was a unique expression, but for once she had no desire to catalogue the expression for future use.

"I was talking to Jo" Logan started and she knew it was going to be bad "and then all of a sudden she kissed me!"

"WHAT?" Camille stood up and banged her fists on the table in outrage Logan winced at the sound. "It- it wasn't intentional on her part I think… she was very upset and I couldn't work out why… and then…"

"Did you kiss her back?" Camille asked and after her initial outrage her voice had gone raw with hurt. "J-just for a second" Logan admitted and then immediately wished to take it back from the look that crossed Camille's face.

"Camille PLEASE" and his fingers ghosted over the bruise forming under his eye. "Well that answers my question" she sneered and stormed off. "Wait!" he called grabbing her arm.

She reeled around and slapped him hard on the face; there was a moment of painful silence. He held his cheek in surprise and she stared at him with a horrified expression before looking down at her offending hand "L-Logan I'm so-" Logan cut her off by pressing his lips to hers.

Their relationship hadn't involved a lot of kissing, which had been a sign that Camille wasn't as emotional invested as she should be.

She felt emotional invested now though. She raised her hands and weaved them in his hair, pulling him deeper and deeper into the kiss. He rested his hands on her hips and made a small noise when she pressed her body close to his.

Then she pulled away from him violently. "I'm breaking up with you" she told him before pulling him back into another heated kiss, he tried to pull away from her but she had a strong grip on hid forearms and kept him still.

"I thought you might" he told her mournfully "I can't see a trace of you in your face- if you're going to break my heart, don't be one of your characters... If you're going to break my heart I want it to be as you, being yourself."

"I could ask the same of you" she told him heatedly before resting her forehead against his "you know they say that 96% of all first romances end in break up- maybe we're just getting ours out of the way."

"I don't want to loose you," he told her with almost enough hurt laced in his voice to make her reconsider. "I don't either... you'll still have me as a friend."

He stepped back and squeezed her hand briefly before letting go "I never had you as a friend."

******BTR******

Carlos and Camille sat in the park playing Chinese checkers and Camille listened to Carlos complain.

"So then he called me immature! Can you believe that? Who does Kendall think he's kidding! He's not the grown up he thinks he is."

Carlos played what was probably an illegal move- Camille couldn't be sure, neither of them actually knew how to play and were making it up as they went along.

"So then he divided up our room- like that's SO mature- and he wouldn't even split it up into thirds! We both know helmie deserves his fair share of the room" Carlos patted his helmet affectionately. "After all he's had to put up with Kendall's bitching as much as I have."

Suddenly there was a shadow over the checkerboard and they looked up to find Jo standing in front of them. "Hi Camille" she said awkwardly "is it alright if we talk?"

"Why even ask Jo? It's not like you're not going to do it anyway" Camille sneered with more venom than she thought she would. Jo sat down next to Carlos and the boy shifted awkwardly "should I leave?"

"No" the both told him, grabbing onto his arms at the same time before letting go in a hurry. "You shouldn't have broken up with Logan" Jo blurted out finally as a curtain of blonde hair fell in front her eyed.

"Oh I hate to say this but I might agree with Jo" Carlos piped up. Camille glared at her friend "okay NOW you can go!"

"Unfair" Carlos huffed and stood up "I have to clean up my stuff anyway- Kendall will have a fit if any of my stuff is on 'his' side of the room."

Jo grabbed Carlos' hand "Could you tell Kendall... I'm sorry... I really DID like him but..."

"That sounds like something you should tell him yourself" Carlos told her in a curt manner "or tell him a lie- just don't tell him the only reason you were together was because you wanted to get closer to-"

"IT WASN'T!"

"Good" he shrugged "tell him that." he turned to Camille and placed his helmet on her head "you should borrow this... I have a feeling this conversation is going to hurt."

He walked off and Jo frowned "you never seemed to like him that much."

"What would you know?" Camille snapped and Jo glared at her "just what I SAW Camille- just what people SAID!"

"Nobody can know how I feel Jo" Camille took the helmet off and played with it in her hands. "Well, I'm sorry okay? It always just seemed so UNFAIR that you got to be with him when you couldn't even see how great he was!"

"I know how-"

"Do you? Well I guess you will- it's different seeing him on the outside of your little relationship. Then maybe you'll see the mistake you made."

Jo stood up and sighed, "I want him to be happy- and you. I want you to be happy."

Jo walked away and Camille was left looking at an empty seat and a half played game of checkers. She sat there motionless until another shadow crossed the board and she looked up to find Logan sitting across her.

"If you were a blond with big eyebrows who was incredibly mad at me- what would I have to do to get you to talk to me again?"

"um what?" Camille stuttered as Logan moved a piece across the board casually. "Kendall" he explained and waited for Camille to make her move on the board, "he punched me after he saw Jo kiss me and came to an incorrect conclusion."

Camille winced at the way Logan so casually mentioned the event "you should be honoured though- I think he was defending your honor." A real smile broke out on Camille's face, and Logan mirrored the expression back to her.

"I don't know... flowers?" Camille suggested with an easy smile and Logan's face suddenly became seriously "would you forgive me if I gave you flowers?"

"I already forgave you" Camille sighed and Logan smiled softly "so I guess this isn't the part where I win you back?"

Camille shook her head slightly, not trusting her voice to vocalize anything.

"King me" he moved the final piece and stood up. Camille sighed deeply- she was never going to win when she didn't know how to play the game.

*********BTR********

Logan was wearing that blue shirt that reminded Camille how attractive he was. Camille had adjusted herself to his appearance that she hardly noticed it anymore... only lately she was noticing 'things' she had never taken notice of.

The way his smile tilted, and the way he constantly ran his hands through his short dark hair. His eyes were a darker shade of brown than she remembered and he held himself a little taller.

Or maybe it was that she was just finally getting to know Logan. The real Logan, not the one that had been obsessively in love with her before they had even gone out. But the loyal steadfast friend, the brave bright man who had followed his friends out to California to chase someone else's dream. The light hearted person who would forget what he was saying halfway through a sentence when something caught his eye.

That Logan was wonderful.

And that Logan had a girlfriend.

Peggy Johnson was a bitch. Camille didn't have any hard evidence but watching them walk hand in hand into the cinema when Camille had thought Logan had been there to try and win her back again. Camille was certain.

Peggy Johnson must be a bitch.

"Logan has given me a flower everyday this month" Kendall told her sourly, appearing next to her. "I hear you're to blame for that."

"I didn't think he'd do it" Camille muttered but a goofy smile crossed her face as she watched Logan trying to explain something complicated to Peggy with exaggerated hand gestures.

"I had to forgive him I guess… I mean who doesn't like flowers? And it's not like HE did anything" Kendall sighed and Camille nodded slightly with a defeated sigh.

Kendall followed the direction of her eye line and patted her lightly on the shoulder "he doesn't write her love poems…"

Camille bit her lip, "yeah?"

"You know all you have to do is say the word" he gave her a slight grin and she looked at the ground, "yeah- okay."

Now it was just a question of how to ask.

**Please read and review **


	4. Finding the moments

**Author's note: I have filled another request! This one is from Loganator_JR who requested a fic inspired by the movie 'why did I get married?' which was requested forever ago… but here it is now! This would have been up the other day but work got in the way… anyway, thanks as always for the reviews, alerts and favourites- I really appreciate it!**

Logan took off his silly gown the moment the ceremony was over, he didn't really understand why anyone would want to keep it on longer than they had to.

"Oh man! You are ridiculous" Kendall laughed and took off his hat and placed it on Logan's head "you do know that my mum is gonna want a bazillion pictures of us now- and you're in a dress shirt! Did you forget that you're valedictorian?"

"Over a thousand hours worth of studying would indicate a no" Annie laughed and poked Logan in the ribs. "I think we went on more study dates than real ones," she laughed then hesitated before giving Logan a light kiss on the lips. They both scrunched up their nose at the awkwardness of it and Kendall let out a laugh.

"Oh Annie don't you remember Logan's rule about PDA? I thought that was one thing you two ALWAYS agreed on."

"I think the world would be a much better place if SOME people held my reservations on the matter" Logan rolled his eyes and nodded towards their friend James; who was using graduation as an excuse to grind on some excitable sophomore girl.

"Well at least he's affectionate- that's admirable in it's own way" Annie defended her friend and Logan and Kendall let out a snort in unison.

"He's affectionate alright" Logan commented with a playful nudge to Kendall's ribs, who snickered with him.

"Yeah" Kendall agreed "but I bet he doesn't know her last name."

"Correction- he doesn't know her first name," Logan gave Kendall a rare smile before chucking Kendall's hat off his head and in to the air. "Hey!" Kendall ran backwards and caught it in the air; he was in the middle of his completely unnecessary victory dance where he backed into someone.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry!" Kendall whirled around to find a blonde woman in her twenties, she pulled off her sunglasses and looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's okay," she told him with a half quirked smile, "I assume the victory dance was for an important reason…" Kendall clutched his hat close to his chest, and looked up at her with an embarrassed smile.

"I just graduated" Kendall told her more defensively than proudly.

The blonde's eyes cast down and back up and she raised her eyebrow pointedly at him.

"Your dress sort of gave you away," she told him in a mock whisper, pulling at his robe gently. He blushed and straightened it out, and she giggled at him.

"You're in a silly robe too- but you're not from my school… I would recognise you" Kendall pointed to her traditional black graduation robe and compared it to the flamboyant green one he was wearing.

"I am graduating… but that's just for the show" she gestured at the camera crew that was impatiently waiting for the crowd to disperse. "Seems your school double booked the auditorium."

"Oh my God" his eyes widened "you're Rachel from New Town High!"

"Jo actually" she stuck out her hand and he shook it enthusiastically, which made her laugh.

"Kendall" James suddenly appeared beside him "we have to get going if we want to make it to the cabin- it's tradition!" He waved his hands excitably, seemingly not taking in the totally amazing woman Kendall was desperately trying to talk to.

"Since when is it tradition?" Kendall narrowed his eyes, but flashed quickly back to Jo in case she wandered off or turned out to be married or something.

"Since… well it WILL be once we get there- now hurry up and just give her your number so we can go!" And with that James melted back into the crowd and Kendall began plotting his very gruesome death.

"I-if I gave you my number… would you call?"

She chucked her phone at him, and he'd never loved the sight of a phone so much. "Put it in- we'll see if I call" she winked at him; he typed the number furiously into the phone before handing it back.

"Maybe I'll be talking to you, Ken-doll."

And with that she was gone.

Kendall stood for a few minuets with a goofy look on his face, until Logan pulled him away.

"You know- one day I'm gonna marry her" he promised not caring how cheesy or cliché it sounded.

"Yeah and I'll marry Principal Roberts daughter" he responded sarcastically and rolled his eyes. He pulled on the blonde's sleeve "now come on- you were right. Your mum DOES want a bazillion pictures…"

******BTR******

"Ergh I can't believe we're in Minnesota again- when we got married you said I'd never have to stay somewhere this cold again." Jo complained not looking up from her iPhone, which she was typing on furiously.

"Did I say that? That doesn't sound like me" Kendall sniggered, gripping and turning the steering wheel quickly to avoid a dodgy looking patch of ice. "Though I have been known to promise some outrageous stuff."

"Like honey, I promise you'll LOVE driving up to the Garcia's cabin- it'll be fun." Jo actually looked up and glared at him and an annoyed sigh came from the back of the car.

"I believe Kendall was thinking of all the fun HE'D have if we drove up together- he's a schadenfreudist."

Kendall looked into the mirror to glare at the man, "No- of course I'll take my wife's side Logan, I'll make sure you get the shitty room that leaks."

"I think the drive is just what we needed Kendall" Camille told him, lacing her fingers together with her husband; Logan corrected his fingers so their hands linked together harmoniously. "It's always nice to spend time with Logan's friends- it reassures me that you guys are real, and he's not just spending all his time with me."

"You've been toiling away in the lab again, eh?" Jo grinned and hit Logan lightly who ducked his head "you know I think becoming a research doctor was a good move for you Logan- now you won't have so much trouble... talking to patients."

"My socialization with my patients was adequate Jo, the improvement has to do with working within a team." Logan told her, and a slight defensive edge slipped into his tone.

"Logan always did work better in a team" Kendall told the women cheerfully and they both raised their eyebrows at him. He blushed darkly "what? I'm not wrong- Logan was great when we were on a hockey team together."

"And now nobody believes me when I say I used to help THE Kendall Knight with his plays in high school" Logan snorted, and Kendall grinned broadly.

"You used to help me with my homework too."

"Yes but no one has problems believing that- not that I do that anymore. The kids are always complaining that they don't understand my explanations- I'm starting to think you were right when you said I over explain things." Logan muttered, ears turning bright red. "One of the many reasons I'm lucky to have Camille, she's great with first grade homework."

"One of the many, MANY reasons" she grinned and pointed at her cheek until Logan took the hint and kissed her cheek softly. "Though really Logan- why you were trying to teach Suki physics is beyond me."

Logan grumbled and the rest of the occupants in car laughed.

"I think I see the cabin" Kendall suddenly squealed excitedly, and the car jerked excitedly with him.

"BABY" Jo screeched and laid her hand on his shoulder, stopping Kendall's wild antics.

"You're going to get us all killed!"

"What a waste that would of been too seeing that's the O'Mally's cabin and we've got a court order saying we're not aloud on their property." Logan added dryly and leant over punching Kendall lightly.

Kendall glared at him "okay first NO ONE is aloud to punch the driver." he waggled a finger in Logan's direction removing one hand from the wheel. Camille caught his hand and directed it back towards the steering wheel."

"Secondly it wasn't MY fault we have a life ban on that place- I didn't try to genetically engineer their cattle."

Camille let out a giggle and patted her husband on the arm. "Oh I remember this story it would have worked if only-"

"I had enough tape" Logan finished mournfully "my suturing skills really weren't up to par when we were twelve."

A phone went off "Don't answer that" Camille and Kendall both told their partners instinctively.

Jo pulled out her ringing phone and Camille relaxed while Kendall tensed up. "I have to- it's Peggy with my new schedule."

"Of course it's Peggy" Kendall groaned, "I hate her so much."

"Don't take it out on Peggy" Logan warned, "she knows everything- and she controls your wife's schedule."

"Who's Peggy?" Camille asked in a mock whisper and Logan grinned at her.

"Oh that's Jo's overlord- otherwise known as her personal assistant. She decides if the sun comes up in the morning and if Jo goes on Leno."

"Oh you SHOULD go on Leno" Camille squealed, "if I stayed up that late I would TOTALLY watch that show!"

"Aw sweetie" Logan cooed at her fondly and brushed her hair carelessly aside so he could kiss her shoulder affectionately.

******BTR******

"Wow I forgot how beautiful this cabin was" Carlos marveled as he threw down their bags. "We should come up here more often!"

"Are you kidding?" Stephanie chuckled "do you realize how HARD it was to find someone to look after all our kids. Plus the financial hit of shutting our business down for five days so we can go on this vacation."

A frown marred Carlos' face "I KNOW Steph- I found the babysitter didn't I? But I don't see why we had to shut down for this vacay- couldn't someone have minded the shop?"

"Maybe, but the ONLY other baker we have is married to YOUR best friend and is up here with us" Stephanie rolled her eyes. "How would anyone run a bakery without any bakers?"

"Store bought?" Carlos asked with a teasing grin "Aw come on babe" he grabbed at her waist pulling her in close. "We only have ONE vacation a year... away from the kids that is. Can't you get a LITTLE excited?"

Stephanie gave him a sullen look "easy for you to say- you don't even look at the business side of things Carlos! If I let you make any of THOSE decisions we'd be bankrupt in a month."

"So true" he laughed and kissed her lightly on the nose, before scattering several more light kisses on her face. "Come on" he laughed lightly "show me a smile."

"Okay" she pushed him away with a smile "but try and keep it in your pants... one too many children were conceived this exact way when we go away on these couples retreats" she warned "We're not in a financial position to have another child."

"But don't you want a girl?" Carlos tempted her kissing her neck and she pushed him away "maybe... once Eduardo goes to collage."

"Honey... Eduardo is six..."

"Exactly" Stephanie grinned and pulled well away from him. "Now what should we make for dinner- and by we, I obviously mean you."

"Aw I thought you said VACATION can't we just order take out?" Carlos whined but he was already trudging towards the kitchen.

"If you don't bake anything it WILL be a vacation" she called out after him before falling back on the couch. She kicked off her shoes and put her feet up, she flicked the TV on and Jo's face appeared in HD.

"Ew- the werewolf chronicles" she made a face and motioned to change it when Carlos called out. "You better watch it- she expects you to have seen it."

"She's not gonna want my opinion- years of dealing with that women means I know she just wants me to tell her how great she is and how fat the other leading lady was."

Stephanie watched Jo perform with a rather wooden leading man and cringed. There was nothing wrong with Jo's acting skills... though why she was still acting in teen schlock when she was in her thirties was beyond Stephanie. Maybe a niche was a niche.

"You be nice to her when she gets here" Carlos warned, appearing in the doorway to wave a wooden spoon around menacingly. "I don't want you and Camille running off and giggling like a couple of school girls- there is a reason she's never excited to see you guys."

"I promise" Stephanie raised her hand like a scouts honour, "I'll even be nice to Annie."

"At a girl" Carlos crooned.

******BTR******

"I'm sorry mam but there seems to be a mistake but your seat seems to be in business class instead of first class." a fairly unapologetic flight attendant told the blonde.

"Oh" the woman frowned and turned to her partner who frown deeply "so there are NO more available seats in first class? This should be a simple upgrade... it's what WE paid for."

"Unfortunately first class has been completely booked," the woman repeated more firmly.

"No see HERE'S what happened- YOU overbooked the flight and then were SCREWED when no one pulled out of the flight so you DOWNGRADED my wife!"

"James it's fine" Annie gave him a soft smile "I don't mind business class- let's face it" she gestured at herself "I'm kind of business class."

"Look this is ridiculous" Rachel butted in "give me your ticket and I'LL take the damn seat." she reached out but Annie held it firmly out of her reach.

"Don't be silly Rach- you paid for that ticket" Annie picked up her bag and dragged in along. "Okay" she said brightly to the attendant "could you please show me to my seat?"

Rachel sat down sulkily, and James followed sinking into his seat moodily. "Why does she always do this?" he complained "it's like she doesn't EVEN want to spend time with us- me."

"It's not that James" Rachel rolled her eyes "she's just that kind of person- she doesn't want to be a bother." she shot him a sly grin "you two always seemed to me like a mismatch- but at the same time I've never seen two people who get along better in a marriage."

A fond look past his face "yeah... well when we're together that is." he pulled out his laptop and opened it "it's hard to have a connection when she's out in the ocean more often than not..."

"And it's not like the CEO of Diamond cosmetics is ever too busy to spend time with his wife" Rachel shot back snarkily gesturing to his laptop.

He shot a sneaky grin and shut the computer "you may have a point" he leant over and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. "Though I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with the woman I love."

"And who's that James?"

His phone rang. "You better turn that off before the plane takes off- why you thought it'd be okay to use it is beyond me" she rolled her eyes.

"I like getting my way" he grinned widely at her and an attendant walked up to them.

"Sir I'm going to have to ask you to turn that off before we take off" and she was off again, firmly telling a child to stop kicking the chair in front of him.

"Looks like you can't always get what you want..."

"yeah, but I can get pretty close."

******BTR******

"Oh my God it is SO good to see you" Stephanie flung her arms around Camille and grinned widely at her.

"You saw me yesterday" Camille laughed, but hugged the woman back just as tightly. "Or maybe you like me more since Carlos sentenced us to a no business talk weekend..."

"Why did he do that?" Jo asked curiously, she had followed Camille quietly from the car, acting as voyeur on their semi-intimate moment.

"We're always fighting over prices and product value and such- or how Camille keeps forgetting to put flour in the cupcakes" Stephanie jokes and sent Jo the warmest smile she could muster and Jo returned it with about equal enthusiasm. "Carlos is always getting in the middle- so he put a ban in effect."

Camille flushed with embarrassment about the flour jab but quickly got over it and seemed to lighten up over the fact they were talking. She beckoned Jo forward and pulled her so her arms were wrapped around her, her arm shook a little and Jo patted her arm affectionately- she could sympathize with Camille. She didn't like people making fun of her screw-ups either.

"Steph you should hear about the mini series Jo's auditioning for- she told me all about it on the way over."

"Oh well I-"

The door flew open and an excited Kendall bounded inside "CARLOS GARCIA!" he rushed past the women and upstairs and out of sight just as Carlos rushed in excitedly from the kitchen.

"KENDALL?"

They pointed upstairs and Carlos rushed up in a flurry of excitement. Seeming to follow the trail of snow Kendall had left in his wake.

There seemed to miss each other several times, calling out to each other in various voices of barely contained excitement playing the worlds most peculiar game of Marko Polo.

"I guess no one is going to help me with these bags then?" Logan called, the last of the group to trudge inside. Stephanie ran up to him and hugged him, "hey there Logan!"

"Gee Steph it's not like we didn't have you over for dinner last week" Logan rolled his eyes and Camille shot her a nauseatingly smug look.

"LOGAN!" the two men that had at some point apparently found each other, and now pounced on Logan in excitement.

"Kendall" Logan cried in exasperation "we drove here, you know TOGETHER!" the blonde seemed to ignore the shorter man's annoyance and swung him around. "And CARLOS for God's sakes I saw you YESTERDAY!"

"Wow and I thought their display of 'bro-fection' was bad at the airport" Jo hissed with a grin to Camille. The baker giggled behind her hand and made no move to assist her flailing husband.

"When is Annie going to get here- God! It's like the Diamonds go out of their way to be late!" Jo watched her watch tick slowly; she didn't have much in common with the sunny marine biologist except that she also wasn't in the little two-person click of Stephanie and Camille.

"They're plane probably got delayed- it's not like Malibu is exactly a hop skip and a jump from here" Camille told her. Her watch went off and Logan popped up next to her, wrapping his arm firmly around her.

"Hey hon- let's take our stuff up to our room" and immediately steered her away.

"He is SO weird" Jo rolled her eyes at Logan's antics- it always unsettled her how Camille let him control her life so thoroughly. Down to how many hours she worked, when she could go out and it was all timed into that stupid watch that dictated his commands to her.

"Oh that's just Logan- he became pedantic a couple of years ago. It's never bothered Camille though- I think she just likes having his attention. You know how disconnected they used to be, and she's gotten so scatterbrained lately she could use the guidance" Stephanie frowned at the retreating couple.

"We're not living in the fifties Stephanie" Jo glared "I don't understand how a guy that is best friends with Kendall."

"I used to feel the same way about him and Carlos... but Carlos never seems happier than when he's with his old college room mate- so I try not to be too bitchy."

"Too late" Jo snickered and Stephanie shoved her playfully.

"Look who's talking?" they turned and spotted James in the doorway.

"James?" they both exclaimed and then looked behind him to find a pretty brown hair woman in place to the usual pretty blonde one.

"Where's Annie?" Jo demanded almost at once and eyed the new woman with the utmost distaste.

"Well hello to you too Jo" James rolled his eyes "ladies this is Annie's friend Rachel- Annie invited her when Katie and what's his name couldn't make it."

"Is he still afraid after the time you and Kendall tried to drop a boulder on him for besmirching Katie's purity." Jo snickered "which was stupid because Katie hasn't been a virgin since-"

"Lalalalalashutup" James stuck his fingers in his ears angrily "Katie is still as pure as the virgin white snow of the mountains."

"You're going to have words with Carlos then" Annie appeared next to Rachel heaving a sizable amount of luggage "I'm pretty sure he had a thing with her when she was a senior in high school and he was a 'worldly' college guy."

"CARLOS!" James threw his hands in the air "YOU GET IN HERE YOU DIRTY SACK OF BETRAYAL!" James tore out of the room like a man possessed.

"You are evil" Rachel grinned at the blonde and the woman merely shrugged "he deserved it- he's been sending me links to sea life fetish support groups for months. He obviously thinks he's hilarious."

Stephanie let out a snort of uncontrollable laughter and Annie glared at her darkly until she stopped.

"So Rachel... how long have you and Annie known each other?" Jo tried to be amicable and hoped Camille would come back soon- the girl could be friendly to a tree.

"Not long" she admitted, "I've been friends with James longer..."

The dark looks the two women sent her could be seen from space. "I guess he said I was Annie's friend to avoid you two looking at him the way you're kind... of... looking at me right now."

"I'm going to put these in our room- Stephanie can you show me where that is?" Annie piped up grasping most of the luggage again and surged forward grabbing Stephanie in one swift movement.

"Be nice you two" she called out as a worried after thought. Neither Rachel nor Jo were known for their restraint or patience.

"So how are you friends with James?" Jo asked, her eyes narrowed at the woman with great suspicion. Rachel smiled widely at the question.

"Oh- we used to work together. I worked in his missile defense section" she exclaimed as though that made any sense.

"For Diamond COSMETICS?"

"Yes- well that's what he thought as well, so when he took over the company... he got rid of some of the more... frivolous sections of the company."

"But he didn't get rid of you completely?" Jo prodded, wondering what she was going to use with this information once she had it.

"We met for the first time when he was firing me- I wasn't pleased... but after he reviewed my work and gave me a glowing recommendation to my future employers I kind of warmed up to the guy" Rachel grinned wistfully at the mention of James and that disturbed Jo.

"So what about you- you're Jo Taylor-Knight right? I used to watch New Town High religiously... It's a shame the show had to end. But I guess after ten seasons it was time to let the teen show go right?"

"Right" Jo said uneasily and Rachel cocked her head and her smile turned a little sharp.

"I heard you're doing movies now- anything I would know?"

"Probably not."

******BTR******

"I think it's endlessly amusing JAMES is the one beating up Carlos for dating Katie" Camille giggled to Kendall. "You don't seem that upset by the affair."

Kendall shrugged "if I had any say in who she dated she never would have taken that ginger kid to the prom."

"I think that was more of a business agreement- he backed Knight industries when she was starting up" Logan told them. "I wouldn't have put it past teenage Katie to horde favours for future profit."

"Can you please not talk about my sister like that" Kendall glared, turning away from where James was trying to pummeling Carlos, and Carlos was giggling like a madman.

"I meant it as a compliment- she's a shrewd business woman... and let's face it she's the scariest, most powerful woman of our generation."

"What does her business DO exactly?" Camille asked hesitantly and Logan let out a low laugh at Kendall's embarrassed expression.

"Ah I don't actually know... everyone's very coy on the matter."

A yelp admitted from the fight that was still in progress and Logan rolled his eyes, getting up to separate them. "Alright- break it up!"

"I'm gonna find the girls" Camille grinned easily and walked out of the room, her grip on the door handle slipped and she shot Logan a smile before she exited the room, saluting him in a jaunty fashion.

"She seems good today dude" Carlos muttered to Logan as he pulled them apart. "She is, I think she's finally coming to terms with-"

"What are YOU ladies talking about" Kendall swaggered over to them, flinging his arms around their shoulders.

"Just that Jo and you seem good" Logan said hastily "I haven't seen you two like this since college- not that either of you went to college."

Kendall frowned "she been 'dealing' with career stuff- I think. She's being hot and cold; I think she's just in her hot phase right now. She's not on her a phone for a change- but it's only been a couple of hours."

"Probably having an affair" James sniggered "you don't see THAT look on the face of a woman who's just sleeping with her husband."

Logan and Carlos simultaneously smacked James over the head, "what's wrong with you? Not everyone is having an affair!" Logan glared at James who merely shrugged.

"Why not? God knows I am."

"So that woman who's here? Is that her?" Carlos asked hesitantly, he wasn't surprised when James said he was having an affair. Just a little sad.

"Well Jo is defiantly not," Logan told him with more confidence than James felt was necessary considering they weren't talking about his wife.

"Wait- I thought you and Annie had an 'open marriage' because of her... situation." Logan added and Carlos and Kendall raised their eyebrows feeling incredibly out of the loop. "I thought is wasn't considered an affair if..."

Logan had evidently caught on quickly to something James was trying to convey through facial expressions alone. "Oh..."

"Oh what?" Kendall asked in frustration, irritated over them dissecting his love life but treating James' with kiddy gloves, which was evident in his voice.

"What's wrong with Annie that she'd be okay with an open marriage?" Carlos added curiously but James made a face like the discussion was closed.

"Does she know your sleeping with Rachel specifically?" Logan asked and James shook his head. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you to keep this quiet."

A look past Carlos' face that didn't instilled him with confidence.

******BTR******

"They have a what?"

"Shh Steph- I wasn't supposed to tell you" Carlos covered her mouth. Stephanie narrowed her eyes, "why is everyone cheating?"

"Everyone? Who else is cheating?" Carlos asked his horror and prayed the answer wasn't something he couldn't live with.

"I overheard something Camille was saying on her phone" Stephanie told him in a confidential tone. Carlos was filled with immediate dread, Camille had to be his closest friend outside of the guys and he knew Stephanie had a love hate relationship with the woman because it.

"She was talking to someone Logan works with- doctor something and they were a lot of hushed words and arranging of meetings."

"I don't think that's what you think it is." Carlos wanted to tell her exactly what he knew, exactly what he had been keeping from his wife for his friend. But he had promised Camille, not to utter a word to Stephanie.

"Yeah well as fucked as Logan and Camille's relationship is she shouldn't be doing this."

"And you don't feel that way about Kendall and Jo?" Carlos tried to relieve pressure by hopping from one frying pan to another. Stephanie crossed her arms in defiance.

"Oh I know that bitch is a cheater- I don't feel too bad for him though. It's not like HE hasn't stepped out on her before, at least SHE manages to keep it out of the newspapers."

"Kendall said nothing happened…" Carlos frowned and Stephanie snorted.

"Face it your friends don't have the best relationships" she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows in a decidedly smug way and Carlos could feel his temper rising.

"Yeah? Well that's what they say about us" Carlos snapped and then stormed off to find Camille and Logan. Leaving his wife behind, confused and angry.

******BTR******

The dinner was strangely tense, with no couple being able to look at another- and not just because Katie had popped by unexpectedly with her dogged newly minted fiancé; Kyle in toe.

"So the wedding is in six months" she exclaimed excitedly and clapped her hands together, "Kyle is organizing the wedding of course, seeing as I have so much work piling up, now I'm opening up a new missile defense subsection."

"Why would you need a missile defense section for?" Logan asked spuriously and Katie shot him an amused look.

"I would never need a whole section Logan" she gave him a look that verged on patronising "that's why I have a sub section."

"It's for defense against potential threats" Rachel added and took a large sip from her wine glass "it's best to have one in case of-"

Katie raised her hand and Rachel fell silent, Katie let out a titter of a laugh. "Oh let's not talk business right now- with my upcoming nuptials I'm much more interested in assuring that my favourite brother can make it to the wedding."

"You KNOW I'll be there Kates- come hell or high water" he told her confidently and then cast a sideways glance at his uninterested wife who was trying to covertly text under the table. "I don't know about Jo though- maybe you'd have to check with her personal assistant." he stood and nabbed the iPhone from her in a smooth motion and pocketed it.

"Kendall Knight you give that back, right now!" Jo commanded and Kendall gave her a challenging look slipping the phone out of his pocket and opening it up.

"What's so important that you can't listen to my baby sister talk... about..." Kendall's words faded off into nothingness as he read the message on her phone.

"Who were you writing this to?"

Jo snatched the phone back, "just Peggy- GOD Kendall why don't you ever trust me! We both KNOW I'm not the one with the history of lying."

"We both know that's not quite true Jo," he told here deathly quiet. "Do you always tell Peggy that you miss her? That you wish you were there and not here?"

"Better there than here!" Jo's outburst was much more violent then anyone (herself included) had predictably. "Do you really want to try and save our marriage HERE? With THESE people? They haven't got it together anymore than we do!"

"Jo just calm down-" Annie reached up to her but Jo pushed away from her standing angrily. "Me calm down? I think I'm the only one who's angry enough! Are you happy Annie? Really? With a husband who's having an affair that you don't care about because as long as he's touching someone that's not you."

Annie shrunk back, trying to hide behind her curls but Jos tirade was far from over.

"It bothers you though, it MUST" Jo gestured at James and Rachel who were paralyzed by shock "that he's starting to love her more than you. It not like high school when there were no feelings involved, right?"

"Jo" Carlos stood up and moved quickly to her side "that's enough." He made a desperate motion at Logan who stood as well and moved to comfort Kendall.

"You know your right Carlos –and you know I think that's probably what Stephanie was thinking when she got her tubes tied- that's enough right?" she shot Stephanie a nasty look and then took off.

"Oh God" Logan watched her leave "Kendall go after her now."

"Why?" Kendall glared up at his friend, the only one to come out unscathed from Jo's tirade. "Did you not HEAR what she said? Look at what she did!"

Annie had excused herself from the table and James had followed closely behind, leaving Rachel to sit uselessly at the table and focus very hard on the steak she hadn't touched.

Kendall and Logan could nearly look at Carlos, who was staring at Stephanie with such a painful look of betrayal etched on his face. Stephanie tried to take his hand but he pulled away from her and threw his fork down in a rare display of anger.

The clatter of cutlery echoed on the now silent table, and Katie took Carlos leading him off into another room. Possibly to prevent another rare display of anger, perhaps in the fork of a slap to his wife.

"She was never patient Kendall" Logan stressed in a hush whisper "she's never been my friend, but she did speak to me in a dark hour- and she clearly hasn't spoken to you about it."

Kendall's eyes widened and his face-hardened "what did she speak to you about?"

"She was nauseous, tired all the time- she thought she had finally gotten pregnant," Logan's frown sat deeper on his face than Kendall had ever seen it- like it had been carved by sculptures. Kendall had wanted children since he took over the role as father for his sister. Logan could tell it had killed him that his and Jo's attempts had been fruitless so far.

"Sometimes... menopause just hits woman sooner than others."

Kendall's eyes went horribly wide and all the fight drained out of him. He thought of his wife's face, and how he must have been out of town playing hockey and the only person Jo could think to call was a friend of his that she didn't even like that much.

He ran out of the room as fast as he could trying to trace Jo's steps and Kyle took the initiative to usher Rachel into the parlor while Stephanie finally gained enough common sense after watching Kendall's display to race after Carlos.

It was just Logan and Camille at the table and she was sitting quietly trying desperately to grip her fork and knife to cut her stake.

"It's becoming a bad day," she told him quietly and he sat down quietly and gently took the knife and fork out of her hands. "It's alright sweetie- you're just tired... It's been a long day for everyone." She motioned to the empty room and she let out a hollow laugh.

She rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the comforting sounds of her husband cutting her food into small even little pieces.

"Stephanie's going to work it out soon," she told him and she could almost hear him frown.

"I think they're going to be busy for a bit- Steph isn't going to notice anything that doesn't have to do with her marriage."

"I can't do my job properly Logan" she pulled herself up "Carlos can't hide the fact that he's helping me for much longer- they can't afford to keep me on."

"You love the bakery" he told her, "and with the research I'm doing we'll be able to-"

"What? Rewrite my DNA? Buy me some time... all I've ever wanted was time enough to be with you... to be with the kids… will you still love me when I'm so gone you can't even recognize me anymore?"

"I'll love you much longer than that" he promised, "I'll never stop loving you."

******BTR******

"Annie-" James caught up to the blonde and spun her around, "please, PLEASE don't do this!"

"You know- I think it was easier when it was just an abstract thought... because at most I was only ever going to give you eighty percent of what you needed in life. So you needed someone who could provide you with what I couldn't."

She turned and James could see the tear trails that marred her face. He cupped her face with his hand and pushed a tear away with his thumb.

"Rachel gives you more than I ever could," she told him mournfully, "she's not the kind of girl that could only give you twenty percent."

"I'll break up with her," he told her with a half sob "it was never supposed to anything more than-"

"I never should have married you James- you're the kind of man that needs to hold someone, to show you love them."

"I only ever wanted to hold you" he kissed her lips gently but he could feel her flinch. Suddenly her arms were around him and she was pulling him closer than she ever had before, opening her mouth and finally, FINALLY letting him in.

He pushed her away "I knew you were asexual when we got married- I couldn't help it. You were the only woman I had ever loved... and I thought that could be enough but..."

"Now I'm not the only woman you ever loved" she finished for him, and now she was the one wiping away his tears. "Just do it. Ask me for the divorce."

"I still love you more" he told her and she laughed and held his hands close to her heart "I love you more than I ever thought was possible."

"You're afraid to loose me- but James you're my best friend" she kissed his cheek and pressed her hand to his heart "I never want to loose you either. I just... don't think I can stay married to you."

******BTR******

Carlos pushed Katie away "I can't Katie" his tears tracking down his face and his jaws clenched. "I can't even look at her... How am I supposed to look at her?"

"You could try turning around" Stephanie appeared at the door and Katie slipped away.

"Steph don't-" he started but she surged forward and pulled him close.

"I couldn't tell you," she told him her face close to his chest. "You never understood- you never tried to understand! It wasn't like I never wanted children... but when Eli came I was SO happy... eventually."

Carlos pulled her away from him but he wasn't looking at her in the eyes "I love him so much- and I love Terri and Eduardo... but you remember how it was. I could barely hold Terri and I never tried to be with Eduardo. I wouldn't survive another pregnancy Carlos."

"Do you hate our children Stephanie?" Carlos asked like he had just voiced his darkest fear and the look she gave him was so pained, so dark and miserable that he had to pull her close again.

"It was always like sinking into a dark hole... I never got excited, and after they were born... I DO love them. But never all at once... and never straight away."

"I was always afraid you'd never be able to love someone like me... and with the kids. It was like I was proving every fear I ever had."

Carlos kissed Stephanie's hair "oh baby- I'd never not love you."

"Never?"

******SIX MONTHS LATER******

"Xiao-Lang you get back here right now we're in a church!" Jo hissed angrily and the small boy toddler out of her grasp and up to where Kendall was standing up at the alter, he picked the boy up easily and laughed at Jo's facial expression. The little boy pulled at his future uncle's hair- but the groom was such a nervous wreck he didn't seem to notice.

"He looks just like you, you know" Carlos teased, and slid next to Jo on the pew, Stephanie following in his wake.

"He's Chinese Carlos" Jo rolled her eyes but Carlos just gave her a silly grin and patted her arm.

"Has that ever mattered?"

"No" Jo told him, and Carlos smiled widely when he heard Stephanie softly echo the sentiment clearly referring to a different matter and hugged Eduardo close to her chest. She seemed so much better now that she was talking to someone- and the drugs weren't bad either.

"Are Camille and Logan going to make it?" Jo asked, her voice was strained and Carlos knew she was now regretting every nasty thing she'd said about Logan and his relationship with his wife.

"He said she was feeling good today- she's still got a lot of her motor control... it was really unfortunate when we had to let her go" Stephanie told Jo quietly. "But she was starting to shake so badly she couldn't hold a spoon- and she was mixing up the ingredients to the recipes. It was... confusing the customers to say the least- what with the flourless cakes and the jelly and spinach tartlets."

"Logan said that her Huntington's was progressing faster than they thought- I guess he would know he has spent the last couple of years dedicated to find potential solutions with his research team." Carlos told them and the women nodded sadly.

"Let's not talk about this now-" Jo wiped a tear off her cheek and smiled watery at Kendall, who was shooting her an array of concerned looks. "Camille wouldn't want us to bring down Katie's wedding."

"Damn right I wouldn't" they turned quickly to find Camille grinning at them, Logan a step behind. They all stood up quickly to hug her. "You shouldn't listen to the gossip Jo- my new meds are working much better- I feel years lighter off my sentence. You can barely see a tremor" she held up her hand more steadily than Jo could probably manage.

"Logie and I have decide to take the twins and do a big vacation and see the world- I desperately need to clock in some mum time." she tickled her daughters cheek and Logan looked tired but happier than anyone had seen him in years. Maybe it just had to do with his wife's condition being pubic knowledge. It seemed to be a weight off his shoulders.

"Hurry up, hurry up" James called from behind them. "You do realise that the wedding is about to start- or don't you recognize here comes the bride?"

"I don't" Annie snickered "I walked down the isle to a classical version of crazy by fools rush in."

"Of course you did" Rachel rolled her eyes and laced her fingers with James "when I get married I want here comes the bride."

"Duly noted," he grinned and his hand subconsciously went around his neck where is old wedding ring sat on a chain. Annie noticed and touched her necklace as well- she had her band melted into a necklace after the divorce came through (approved by James of course.)

"Hurry up and take a seat guys" Logan pulled them into a pew "look- here comes the bride."


	5. Finding a reason

**Author's note: Okay this one is different it is SUPERNATURAL and has a lot of ANGST, these a fair warnings right here. Now this was SUPPOSED to be a fill for Tank602 but she asked for it a while ago and I only remembered the bit where she wanted a ghost and completely forgot to set it in Halloween town. So I will totally fill that other prompt for you a swear- I feel bad for going back and realising a had misremembered it. Anyway I do actually like this chapter though it goes completely out of my comfort zone as an author. So let's see how this goes…**

Fate is sometimes not what you think it's going to be at all, but time keeps it's promises.

******BTR******

Hortense slumped against the apartment door and took in a deep strangled breath. It was like he was drowning and each breath drew him closer to an unpleasant end.

"You ran all the way home again," Camille noted as she casually flicked the pages of a magazine, before looking up to give him a smirk.

"And yet you still got here first," he finished for her and she shrugged in a self-satisfied manner. "It's ALMOST like you're cheating- but it's not like you can wink yourself from one place to another."

She giggled and disappeared only to appear again next to him, her feet never touching the ground. "All's fair in love and war" she let out another harmless giggle "and you've got to use whatever ammunition you're given."

"Yes but YOU'RE a semi-permeable being who can wish herself home in a second- some of us have to do it the hard way."

He chucked his backpack on the ground haphazardly and shrugged into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. Camille followed behind, dancing gracefully on the air as if it had become solid when Hortense wasn't looking.

"I thought I saw something today" he told her casually pulling out a loaf of bread and some other necessarily edible items for his sandwich.

"Hmm?" she asked hopping up next to the counter, swinging her legs backwards and forwards.

"Something like what?"

"Something like you" he told her as he put the final slice of bread to complete his sandwich and took a big bite. "I could see right through him... but still."

"So what? It was a ghosts, you always see ghosts" she said in a high pitched voice and jumped off the bench, "why are we even talking about this?"

"He wasn't a ghost- though come to think of it... he wasn't much like you either" Hortense ignored Camille's squeaky protests, "I know you're not really a ghost- ghosts don't grow."

"I've never aged a day in my undead life," she gave him a fake gasp but drew her knees up to her chest so she was floating high in the air.

"Camille" he sighed "I met you when I was three!"

"So?"

"Well... you were three too!"

Camille floated over to him and ruffled his hair "Hortense Mitchell you must be the most cleverest nine year old I've ever known."

"I'm nine and a half" Hortense scrunched up his nose, "and what other nine year olds having you been talking too?"

"No one" she promised sweetly "why would I ever need to speak to anyone else? You're the only person worth knowing."

"You still didn't answer my question" he told her grumpily and flicked a piece a tomato at her- that went through her stomach. "Ten points" he muttered childishly and she sent him a pointed look.

"Okay then" she sighed and she suddenly seemed twice her age for a moment before her face reverted back to lineless childishness. "Their evil spirits... even humans with the sight can't see them... because if they can, it means they can see you too."

"What does that mean?" Hortense asked finally catching on to the seriousness of the situation.

"It means that Jo is going to have to stick around more buddy," she said with an apologetic smile and he let out a loud noise of disappointment.

"But I don't WANT Jo to follow me around" he complained loudly and crossed his arms, "she's no fun."

"Nah- she's an angel, she can't help but be a big picture type of gal... guy? Thing." Camille told him and then smirked "Plus your ever loving guide will still be here" she promised "wild horses couldn't drag me away."

"But then what's the difference?" Hortense scratched his head "Between you and Jo?"

"Did you not SEE the awesome wings she sports- and that awesome flaming sword... I'm closer to a ghost really, seeing as I was once alive, but I don't have unfinished business..."

"What do you have?"

"You silly, I'd never need anything else" Camille laughed and Hortense grinned.

"Pinky promise?" Hortense offered her his pinky finger and she linked it with her own.

"Pinky promise."

"HORTENSE" his mum called out "WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?"

"No one mum," he called back and gave Camille a smile grin.

Mrs. Mitchell stuck her head in to see her son's arm sitting at an odd angel, his pinky curled in holding on to nothing.

"Strange child" she muttered walking away.

******BTR******

Fourteen-year-old Logan 'Hortense' Mitchell was running.

It seemed like he had spent his whole life running since those dark spirits had shown up in his life, making it unbearable… well almost unbearable.

He still had Camille.

Having her around made everything else life threw at him more than bearable… except when she was mocking him.

Then she was just a pain in the ass.

"Hurry up slow poke" she told him and flew past him, trending the air backwards so she could keep their eyes locked. "You're never going to win the race if you keep going at this pace."

The boys in the marathon were far behind and lagging in the stretch so he was sure they were all out of hearing range when he muttered, "it's a marathon not a sprint, Camille."

"Who cares" she sighed heavily, letting the wind whip her long hair everywhere as she sped up in front of him. "We're not doing this so you can be the number one sprinter of the school."

"I thought we were doing it so that if I had enough street cred people would stopping beating me up for being a nerdy, weird freshmen" he snickered and picked up the pace as she got a little further out of his reach.

"No way" she shook her head, "demons are fast," she sang like an old nursery rhyme she was waiting for him to finish.

"So… I need to be faster…"

He ran through the ribbon and there were bright flashes of light from cameras and a roar of dull noise. Someone lifted up his arm up like this was supposed to be a triumph for him, but what he wanted to do more than anything was to be reading a dusty book about anatomy. Or join the chess club even.

"Fitting in is important" Camille and Jo would both stress, "you are so extraordinary- but to protect you… you need to be ordinary…"

A dark creature was sitting on a runners back whispering dark words into his ear and Logan pretended he couldn't see. Feelings tend to manifest into something real if you let them- and well… Logan was in high school now. Every dark, insecure or angry feeling sprung to life and sprung at him if they knew something was amiss with him.

"I'm proud of you Hortense" Jo told him fondly after he had excuse himself from his admires and locked himself in a handicapped stall. Camille- the ever thoughtful had turned on all the faucets to block out the sound of him talking to himself.

"It's Logan now" he muttered and she frowned disapprovingly.

"Yes that small act of rebellion" she said with the utmost distaste, she had always been fairly taken with the name Hortense. Logan privately thought Jo might have influenced the name on his mother- who had initially wanted to George.

"Camille says it suits me," he told her stubbornly.

"It does darling" Camille stuck her head through the door and made a face at the sight. "Ew- I hate boy's toilets… if this is going to be our base of operations in high school I must insist with get a rug or something."

Jo sneered at her, "well I suppose if that's what YOU want then it MUST be done."

Logan was sensing another fight and he grabbed Jo's hand stroking it with his thumb. She had always been just corporeal to touch which Camille couldn't stand since anytime he reach out to her- his fingers went straight through.

"You… you said you were proud of me- really? Over a silly race?"

"I'm always proud of you Hortense" she told him soft and gave him a fond smile, "but I was referring to your restraint- that shoulder demon didn't take you any notice… I'm glad you can stand large crowds again."

"Well I'M glad we're back in SCHOOL again- home school was like needles in my eyes- where's the excitement? Plus then there's that bitch of a mother-"

"Camille? Really?" Jo looked positively scandalised and Camille sent Logan a saucy wink, Logan stifled a giggle and pulled Jo closer to him. Momentarily distracting the angel so Camille could disappear and be saved from another on of Jo's lectures.

The bell rang.

"I suppose it's time for class then?" Logan sighed and Jo grinned at him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't act like you don't love it- when you were three I taught you how to speak Spanish… I knew at that moment you weren't just gifted," she pointed at his eyes. "But truly GIFTED."

"Thanks for that by the way" he laughed "mum had me tested- she had no idea why I was babbling away in Spanish- she thought I was REVERTING!"

Jo laughed again and shooed him out, in a few minuets she would turn herself corporeal and shrink down into a pretty slim fourteen-year-old girl named Joanne Taylor. She just so happened to be in every single one of Logan Mitchell's classes and was his very possessive girlfriend. One of the other things Camille hated Jo for- although Logan wasn't sure if it was the corporeal thing or the fake girlfriend thing that had her so twisted.

She would follow him shortly, so Logan took his sweet time getting to his locker. He enjoyed the few moments he had alone without Jo shadowing him, he loved her dearly but it was like she was suffocating him.

He never felt that way about Camille… but maybe that's because Camille had always been a friend first and a protector second.

And anything else she was to him was categorised in a box labelled to difficult for his fourteen-year-old mind to process. He could deal with it when he was older.

******BTR******

Camille stood in front of a hooded brunette boy and waved her hand furiously, "yoooohoooo- I know she can see me guitar boy!" His eyes widened slightly by the sheer brazenness of the act but his eye's stayed glued to where he should be able to see the board.

Logan covertly covered a snort with his hand and Camille skipped over to him, laying herself out across the desks in front of him and his lab partner James. "Oh Logie- that boy is so much fun! It's a shame he's pumping his body full of all those drugs or he'd be able to hear and see me almost as well as you do!"

Logan sent a covert look to Jo who was sitting a few seats head, the blonde had eyes in the back of her head (sometimes in a terrifyingly real way) and he knew she was watching Camille. He just hoped for the sake of anonymity she wouldn't snap like a brittle twig.

"I think that's the point" Logan muttered into his hand and Camille snorted and poke his side- he hated that she could touch him but he couldn't touch her without his hand passing straight through.

"Ohhhhh I forgot that you're in class… that mean you can't talk to me right? Don't want people to think your going off the deep end?"

Logan glared at her but was interrupted when his science partner James poked him in the side; James was constantly struggling with science but never tried to ask for Logan's help. "Um hey Logan?" He flipped his hair out of his eyes and gave him a small smile "I uh saw you run that marathon… I don't think I've seen anyone run that fast."

Logan looked up briefly to give him a smile, "thanks James… it wasn't anything really" he drew his eyes back to the page so he missed the frustrated look that passed over the pretty boy's face.

They fell back into silence until…

"Um Logan… do you think you can help me with this question, I don't really understand what's happening at all…"

"Aw lookit Logie- the pretty boy has finally gained the courage to talk to you. He's only been staring at you for the last TWENTY minuets" Camille snorted and laid her head on top of the worksheet. James' pencil went right through her forehead and he detracted his hand like he'd just been burned.

"Is something wrong James?" Logan asked with a hint of concern, he knew what the problem was but that didn't ease his sympathy. Logan went to great lengths to not pass through any ghosts due to the incredibly unpleasant feeling of merging with someone for a moment before being ripped clean from them again. "It's… nothing" he gave him a small smile.

"He's no fun" Camille complained, "not like the last girl that asked you for help in social studies- she was a screamer." Camille relayed in a singsong tone and Logan tried to conspicuously swat her away. It was hard to look at the chemistry problem through a semi transparent head.

"Oh I see what you're doing wrong here- look all you have to do is follow the tricks Miss Hornby gave us last lesson…"

James didn't seem to be paying attention, but looking past him with a look of shock on his face. Logan winced and turned to see Camille innocently waving his book around, Logan imagined the book must have simply been floating to James thus his freaked out expression.

Logan shot another freaked out look to the back of Jo's head, but she didn't move like she usually did. She didn't cause a distraction or anything… Logan was suddenly VERY suspicious.

Logan kicked her, his foot went through her but she did drop the book in his hand from the shock of the sensation. As far as Logan could gather, ghosts could feel the pull as much as a human could- but seemed to enjoy the brief sensation… or at least Camille did.

Not that Camille was actually a ghost… Logan KNEW that.

Camille had referred to it as being in purgatory. Doomed to follow a person around and assist them until they themselves passed on- this was somehow supposed to help them come to terms with their own death or something. It didn't have to do with unfinished business though… that was strictly a ghost thing.

He had heard the 'non-people' snigger that it was like doing community service.

Either way she was stuck with him for life.

Another ghostly hand reached out and pulled Camille back and she turned to find herself manhandled by a small transparent Latino boy. 'He must be James guide,' Logan thought, 'it must be terribly lonely- not being able to talk to the person you are sworn to protect for a lifetime…'

"Did that book just…"

Logan was about to answer but there was another ghostly figure around James and he leant over and whispered in his ear. "You're just imagining things- you don't want to freak the poor boy out" the blonde winked at Logan before straightening out and James' shoulders seemed to ease with tension as a ghostly hand ran across his shoulder blades.

"Never mind… um so about these questions?"

The bell rang and James deflated, "you know what never mind."

James stood up and Logan grabbed his wrist, "I-I'm apart of the tutoring program" he told the tall boy impulsively "I help with science and history and a bunch of extra curricular stuff… if you need…"

"Okay" he said quickly and a smile appeared to light up his face. His two ghostly guides flanked him on either side, the blonde gave Logan the thumbs up and the Latino just stared at James fondly.

James Diamond was one of the most popular boys in school, he was the co-captain of the hockey team and ridiculously adept when it came to social ques.

In short everything Logan Mitchell would never be.

He was a friendly enough guy, but never had taken a particular shine to Logan before today.

That wasn't what was troubling Logan though.

"What horrible thing happened to him to need a second guide?"

Camille shrugged and took his hand, "why are you asking you don't usually care… why do you care about him?"

"I don't know…"

Things didn't usually faze Logan anymore.

******BTR******

"What are you up to?" Logan grabbed Jo by the elbow on their way to lunch, "you never usually let Camille get all alpha wolf on potential friends- you went off your face after what happened with Stephanie King."

"We don't speak of that," she said in a shrill voice and few people stopped in the corridor and edged away from her. Logan pulled her along sending a placating smile at them.

"Are you kidding? EVERYONE still talks about it! First there was the haunting-"

"It was just a few harmless parlour tricks- you KNOW how Camille can be…"

"Then you made it worse by threatening her like a jealous girlfriend" Logan argued, "She ended up transferring out of my class."

"What's your point?" she snapped and he crossed his arms as if he had just somehow proved his point.

"The POINT is after THAT catastrophe you put the kibosh on Camille's tricks pretty quickly- so to repeat myself; What. Are. You. Up. To?"

Jo frowned and took her seat at an empty lunch table, "there's something not right about him- but you SEE that don't you? People don't HAVE two guides just because Hortense…" She opened her sack lunch and pulled out an apple and handed it to him.

He took it but placed it down on the table, there was something always strange in the texture of food she had willed into existence. He picked it up and threw it hand to hand and frowned at her "I've seen it before Jo… it usually… just means…"

"He's not dying" Camille suddenly appeared next to him, her hand hovering comfortingly on his shoulder. Logan let out a sigh of relief and then raised his eyebrow at her looking for an explanation.

"Then what?"

"He saw something… has seen… will see?" Camille cocked her head "I think… I can't see clearly, but it's definitely a big not good thing that happened there."

"So why don't you want me to know him… maybe I can help."

"NO!" they both chorused quickly and he dropped the apple in surprise.

"He's not crawling in darkness, there's no demon on his shoulder and I don't feel nauseous when he talks to me- so I know he's not a bad guy." Logan said stubbornly, "… but there is something about him isn't there? I've never felt drawn to another person before- and not like in a normal way either."

"It's just… a not right feeling" Camille finally admitted and it brought Logan no comfort. There was something in her face that brought him to stop, but not pause.

Logan stood up, "if something is supposed to happen- then maybe it should." He walked away from them and Camille buried her head in her hands.

"You can't change fate Camille" Jo told her and Camille glared.

"What would you know- you've never HAD a fate!"

She watched Logan march over to James with more confidence than she'd seen him possess in a while, and the pretty boy immediately made room for him. It had all the hallmarks of a beautiful friendship…

Camille frowned and disappeared- she wouldn't be back for several days.

******BTR******

"So then he plunged the dagger into his heart" Logan pretended to stab himself with a sword dramatically and James laughed enthusiastically, clapping.

"That's amazing! I never would have thought to remember history like that!" James copied the stabbing motion and burst into a fit of giggles and Logan grinned at him. It had actually been Camille who had performed the little plays to help him remember facts for the history exam- but she was giggling at him over in the corner. So he assumed it was all right to take the credit.

"I've never really had this much fun studying before," James grinned and picked up his history book, which had been a casualty from Logan's thrilling performance.

"I assume that before you met me you DIDN'T study" Logan snorted and James shrugged with a big shit eating grin on his face that implied Logan had been right on the money.

"You're a smart guy James" Logan told him with a joking tone and a wave of his finger, "You'll do great things."

James paused and looked at him as if he had grown another head or walked on water.

"Do you really mean that?" He asked, his voice somewhere between quiet and almost shy.

"That you never studied?" Logan questioned with a light-hearted grin "oh- absolutely, I wouldn't doubt it for a second." James looked startled for a moment but the grin slowly crept back on his face and he threw a book at him.

Logan was fast, but didn't have the foresight to dodge and copped the textbook in the face. It left a large bright red mark and James didn't miss a beat before calling "Oh Logan… it seems there's something on your face!"

Logan sprung up, because Logan was fast and James couldn't manoeuvre past them if they were on skates let alone on Logan's turf (James complained that Logan shouldn't get the ground- that seemed like a rather big home court advantage.)

They rolled on the ground and Logan had James briefly pinned to the floor (only very briefly as James was a lot bigger than him) but let up when he saw the finger marks on James' arm.

"Oh my God- I'm SO sorry James" Logan looked mortified and James looked down at his arm like he had no idea what Logan had done.

"It's fine Logan… I bruise easy" he pulled himself up quickly before pulling his OTHER hand out to help Logan up.

"Man you play a lot of contact sport" Logan marvelled "you must be covered in bruises!"

"Yeah" James muttered and tugged at his sleeve so Logan wouldn't try and match his fingers to the yellowing marks again by accident.

"Do you want to show me the Gettysburg address again?" James asked hopefully and all was forgotten as Logan launched back into another one of his excitable stories.

******BTR******

"Logan?"

Logan looked up to find Kendall hovering before him with a bitten red lip and anxious expression on his face.

Logan had been James' tutor for two weeks and despite the fact that Logan's minders were being oddly suspicious about the whole thing, Logan was actually finding a fast friend in James. It felt good to finally be friends with someone who did appear to be dreamed up out of a Dorian Virtue book.

It wasn't just James though- there was also Carlos and Kendall, James ghostly followers.

Carlos was a sweet soul- he had died sometime in the early nineteen hundreds and had a lovely old world quality about him, combined with exceptionally modern ideas. He had been James' guide first and fit James the way Camille fit to Logan.

Kendall was something else entirely, he was equally as devoted to James- but he was incredibly tightlipped about his past (which was fair- Camille never spoke of her past either.)

He would whisper in James' ear and Logan wondered if that was something specific to Kendall- or if guides regularly manipulated their charges in such a blunt way.

Kendall was cool and clever by half and now he was standing in front of Logan in apprehension, and fear and something very intrinsically not Kendall.

"Would you do something for me?" he took his hand and Logan could almost feel the texture of skin and the cold, cold ruminants of death. Kendall hadn't been dead for long Logan realised then- Kendall was just as young and lost as him.

"Anything" Logan promised and Kendall smiled at him so widely his face might have split in half.

That's how Logan ended up catching two buses to just end up in front of a brilliantly coloured coffee house.

"You wanted me to get a coffee? I'm not sure that we needed to catch two buses to do that..." Logan chuckled and Kendall glared at him.

"Did you get it?" he asked impatiently and Logan grinned pulling a box out of his messenger bag and opened it. He secured the headset around his ears and then twirled around for effect.

"How do I look?" he asked jokingly and Kendall let a small smile on his face as he watched the boy joke around.

"Positively ravishing- and now I can talk to you without you looking like a lunatic."

A brilliant lopsided smile graced Logan's face as he embraced Kendall in what might pass as a hug if both of them had been solid.

"Kendall" Logan laughed "have I ever told you how brilliant you are?"

"No- you should tell me everyday from now on just to be sure," Kendall smiled before pulling the door open "now hurry up and go inside before people start looking.

Logan looked around and determined it was far, FAR to late for that as people were indeed staring at him. Logan shrugged it off with a grin- he didn't know anyone this far out- so what he did here had little consequence.

Logan turned around at the sound of Kendall taking a sharp intake of breath as he stared at the counter.

A woman stood behind it looking chided as a woman in her early fifties was giving him a severe dressing down. There was also a younger woman who was beautiful, with dark brown eyes and brown hair framing her face.

Kendall had brought him to see these women... but why?

He walked up to the counter, Kendall pressed to his side whispering words to say.

"Welcome to Cafe Rush- what can I get for you?" she asked with a bored expression, Logan gave her a small smile and pulled his head set around his neck.

"Um hi- could I please get..." Logan listened to Kendall's intense chatter "oh um- a... um a sodie and four dinosaur biscuits."

"Whatever" the girl responded but there was a crash behind the counter and the older woman appeared again next to the younger.

"For God's sake Kendall- could you PLEASE go and clean instead of subjecting customers with your horrific non-existent customer skills."

Kendall? Oh... oh Kendall...

"Terribly sorry about that, my daughter had no manners" the woman smiled a friendly smile "I'm Katie Knight the owner of Cafe Rush- now what did you order again?"

"Oh um just a- a sodie and four dinosaur biscuits" Logan tripped over Kendall's odd phrasing for the word soda and Katie stared at him so blankly it almost seemed like she had turned into a statute.

"Sodie..." she muttered and then snapped back to life "p-please have a seat and I'll bring it right out." she bustled away from him so he almost didn't catch her muttering the odd phrasing repeatedly under her breath.

Logan sat down and pulled the head set back on "Ken- um Ken, what the hell are we doing here?"

"She named her daughter after me," Kendall told him with a look of conflicted happiness and complete sorrow. "She always said that she would take over the old Cafe- and I could play my band 'the rush' there whenever she wanted no matter how famous we got to."

"Who is she?" Logan asked him, he felt like what they were doing might be wrong somehow.

"I was sixteen" he told him ignoring the question entirely "and mum was out picking up groceries- and I wanted to make her dinosaur cookies so we were in the kitchen."

Logan paled, already seeing how this story ended but Kendall continued anyway.

"The earthquake came out of nowhere... and- and she was SO tiny Logan. You don't understand- she was just eleven and I pulled her under the doorframe. It didn't do me much good and we were crushed… I died wrapped around her."

"You saved her," Logan breathed out and Kendall looked down like he didn't believe him. "Kendall you SAVED your sister- so why did you tell that story like you let her die."

"I saved her in that moment- I was always saving her... until I wasn't around to save her- Logan… what would you have done?"

"If it was someone I loved?" he thought of Camille, which was ridiculous because she was dead already so he thought of Jo who was at least sometimes breathing.

"I would die every time."

A silence fell over them and Katie came over and put the order down, "here" she muttered quietly and studied his face seemingly looking for something familiar. Kendall reached out and touched her hair- but she didn't even seem to feel it. A small part of him was always with her anyway, so the touch didn't really register to anyone but Kendall.

"Kendall" Logan finally called for him, to ask what he'd been dying to know "why does a person need a second guide?"

"To help them through a traumatic event" a dark look past Kendall's face as if he were remembering something truly unpleasant "and trust me- I understand trauma."

******BTR******

James' brother answered the door and smiled pleasantly. Brandon was the epitome of the perfect older brother- he sort of acted as a stand-in parent for James since their parents were never there. He was incredibly fond of Logan, and Logan wished he could say the same but darkness hung around him like black smog.

"Come in Logan" Brandon grinned blandly and called James down as he led Logan to the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"

James entered the room and it was like breathing fresh air and Logan's face lit up. "Hey James- guess what I just did!"

"He beat your high score on Mario cart" Camille told James close to his ear and James smirked as if he thought of something clever.

"I suppose you've spent all morning beating my high score on Mario cart?"

Logan sulked "you take the fun out of everything" he said leaving it up to Camille to work out whether he was addressing her or not. She pointed at herself with a faux innocent look and winked at him before appearing at his side.

"You should get out of here- there's a fair in town" Camille told him brightly.

"Hey there's a fair in town?" Logan said in surprise to Camille but James' face lit up, clearly believing Logan had suggested they go.

"We should totally go! I bet Annie is going to be there" he grinned wolfishly "maybe she'll bring Peggy with her" he added suggestively.

"I'm seeing Jo," he said flatly and James snorted in response. "What?" Logan whined, "I totally am!"

"Despite that one time I caught you two in a closet" James drawled "I have never seen you to doing anything that convinces me you two are 'seeing' each other."

The time in the closet had actually been a close one, Jo had only just remember to go corporeal and he would bet good money Camille was sulking about the comment right now. Mostly because she had been in the closet too.

They had been trying to find alternative places in the school to meet and the foreign exchange student Selena had been dead set on teaching James how to roll his 'r's. So James had stumbled on them and had yet to let Logan live it down.

"Don't be mean to your friend James" Brandon said in a slightly warning tone and James straightened out. Brandon shot Logan an apologetic smile, "he really needs to learn how to treat his things better."

"What did you say?" Logan asked, he must have misheard and Brandon cocked his head in amusement.

"I said James needs to learn to treat his friends better- now I'm just thinking you want James to hear that twice, right?" Brandon laughed and Logan chocked on the thick black emotion oozing from him.

Logan grabbed James' wrist, "we should get going or we'll miss the fair."

"Do you want a ride?" Brandon called out kindly- always kindly.

Logan tried to imagine being in the car with the smog and shook his head pulling James along, "Jo's waiting outside in her car- we're just gonna ride with her."

Brandon's smile stretched thin before he replied "sure kiddo- whatever you want."

In the car that Jo had managed to procure James slid into the back seat and Logan followed after him. "Do you hate my brother?" James asked with a hint of worry, "Because I don't think I've met anyone who's ever hated my brother."

"Of course not" Logan lied through a laugh "he's like the captain of everything- and the coolest senior I've ever met. Why would I hate him?"

"You never want to be around him," James pointed out lightly but his voice was infused with annoyance and something else Logan couldn't quite place.

"No… I just like being around you more," Logan grinned and James sat back heavy in in the seat and sent Logan a feeble smile.

"You know- I don't think anyone I've ever met has felt like THAT before either" James laughed.

"I like you more than Brandon too" Jo chimed in, but seemed to just be repeating Camille's word who was sitting in the seat next to her. "You're much nicer."

"Don't be crazy" James smiled "Brandon's the nicest guy in town- everyone knows that."

"Yeah," Jo said sourly "I'm sure he glitters when he walks."

******BTR******

It doesn't happen in a week or even two. It didn't happen in a month or three or five. If fact it took a whole year for a lot of small things to build up to boiling point.

For everything to end in a bang.

That day Camille took him to a park and asked him to look around. Logan complied and laughed at all the silly things he was willing to do to make someone no one else can see happy- well at least this time no one is following a deceased's loved one.

"Hey Logan… what do you see?" She asked and he looked around and saw roses and soft tolling grass, everything was beautiful. Then he looked at Camille and everything just fell away… like it didn't even matter.

"I see a world… where beautiful things might exist," he admitted, "though it's hard to know for sure."

"How about wonderful things" she insisted. "Think of all the miracles you see every day" she urged him but he couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay Camille- show me a miracle then" he grinned and she looked around lost for a moment before finally pointing to a tree.

"Camille… that's a tree."

"I'd like to see you make one wise guy" she smirked and he stood so they might be brushing against each other if the world was fair. "Do you know my favourite miracle?"

"No- what? Is it the tree?" Logan jokes and Camille shakes her head emphatically.

"It's you." She laces their fingers together and Logan thinks it's the most unjust thing ever to be classed as a miracle that he can't even be granted the simple pleasure of holding her hand.

Then it was like the hours didn't matter and before he knew it he was being startled awake by a sharp pain to his back.

"LOGAN" Carlos was practically screaming and he was white as well… a ghost. When Logan opened his eyes and realised that he wasn't still sleeping "you need to get to James NOW!"

Camille was on top of him faster than anything, trying to tackle him to the bed but fell right through him and stayed there "don't," she whispered half heartedly but Logan sprung out of bed anyway.

They didn't live far apart and Logan sprinted the whole way in pyjama bottoms and bare feet, suddenly glad to be known as the fastest boy at school.

He flung open the door and he could hear a crack sound being repeated over and over again coming from James' room and Logan's blood ran cold.

Jo and Camille had never wanted Logan to be James' friend. They had promised Logan would never be able to help James the way he wanted to- but fate was sealed and now all that was left was for Logan to fling the door open, and do what he had too.

Brandon was calm and his words were kind- he was always kind. He told James it would all be alright- that if he were just a little bit smarter it would be all right. Oh and if only James knew how to be a little bit faster it would all be okay, and that Brandon really was only looking out for his best interests.

Brandon might be a saint like they said; the **nicest** guy in town if he believed what they said. But all Logan saw was Brandon beating James to death with a belt.

Brandon spotted Logan quickly and greeted him in his oh so calm voice, "Yes Logan- PLEASE do come in." There was no hesitation and Brandon was as bland as ever even though the black demons that surrounded him were so thick Logan couldn't breath.

Brandon didn't hesitate to hit James again.

So Logan didn't hesitate to hit him with a vase.

Brandon was on the ground and so was Logan, but the younger boy was on the ground looking for James' pulse. He grasped at James and pleaded, "oh God James get up! I need you to GET UP!"

Brandon was up again because he was the captain of everything, and he knew how to shake a vase smashed to the head off like he knew how to shake off a tackle or an unkind word.

He looked around James' perpetually messing room and the room was so thick that Logan was chocking on the blackest of emotions.

Jo was standing in the corner and watching helplessly, flickering in and out of existence as her emotions tampered her in and out of the physical plane.

Brandon picked up James' baseball bat- the one signed by a baseball player that Logan couldn't remember in his panic. Logan didn't think of anything but James now and he wrapped his body around him and whispered that it would be all right. "I'll make sure YOU'RE all right."

Then Kendall wrapped his arms around Logan and told him it would be all right.

Logan wouldn't feel much passed the first swing…

******BTR******

Logan watched James get up hours after Brandon left and try to hold the broken form of his best friend in his arms but Logan… Logan couldn't watch when James started screaming.

James cried like his lungs were on fire and held Logan's body as if he could will the life back into him if he merged their bodies somehow into one…

James had bruises down his body that told a story and Logan had wounds down his that told the end.

One was alive and the other dead.

James looked up mid-sob, saw Logan and froze.

"H-how c-c-c-can you be I-I-in front of me?" James' voice was raw and Logan wondered if this is why James had two guides.

The two men were sitting either side of him, trying to sooth him with words that resulted in nothing. James didn't fear them- even if they were strangers there was something painfully familiar about them.

"I gave you a gift… but you won't see it that way" Logan told him.

"What?" James screamed, "the part where you gave me the ability to see- to see you as a ghost or some bullshit or the part where you DIED for me!"

"You'll have all the time in the world to work it out James," Logan told him and he wanted to say so much, but he couldn't.

"I love you James" Logan told him finally and James' faces was contorted and ruined. He had ruined James Diamond forever.

"Are you a ghost now?"

"I've never been one for unfinished business- you know I was supposed to die as a baby," he said as if all the knowledge in the world was rushing into him. "My guide deserted me but they brought me back to life on the operating table- at first I thought it was just so I could meet my new guide… but that wasn't it at all was it?"

"No" James croaked.

"I think I was alive just to meet you James."

"NO" he yelled again and clutched Logan's dead body to his chest.

"You should call the police," Logan advised, and he could feel himself fading out.

"You shouldn't believe him," Logan called out "you're the most amazing person I know- there was no one else worth living for."

There was no one else worth dying for.

James let the body fall from his hand and walked the four steps to the phone and began to dial.

"911- what is your emergency?"

******BTR******

"Hmm- I thought there'd be more bright light," Logan said thoughtful as he found himself in the park instead of… well, wherever he was meant go.

"You're a stupid, stupid boy" he turned and Camille hit him. As in actually hit him, and then again and again "I TOLD you, I TOLD YOU and you never ever- you never ever-"

Her voice was too thick to speak and he could finally hold her hand- so he did. She was shaking, so Logan pulled her close like he'd always wanted too and she stopped shaking enough to rest their foreheads together.

He wiped a tear away from her face with his thumb- he didn't know ghosts could cry but he supposed no rules applied from here on out.

"Looks like you're leaving" he told her even as he was still holding her tightly, but she was already starting to fade out of the world. Ready to finally cross over.

"NO!" she clung to him "why aren't you going with me?"

"I still have unfinished business" he told her seriously and she clawed his shirt trying to keep the feeling of him being solid even though the truth was that now neither of them were.

He put a hand to each side of her face and pulled her in for a long searing kiss.

It was like he had been waiting a lifetime to do that…

They both met the white shining light together- and tried not to think about the mess that was left behind.

Nothing ever quite ends… not even now.

******BTR*******

Fate is sometimes not what you think it's going to be at all but time keeps it's promises.


	6. Finding an identity

**Author's note: I can not blame this on anyone as it was not a request… just something that came to me. I actually wrote this while writing my super depressing last chapter because I can't write drama while also writing comedy. Anyway I always wanted to do a multi chap gender bender story but never seemed to be able to commit the time to it, so you get a one-shot instead **

**Anyway thanks so much to all the people that reviewed the last chapter, I really do appreciate it and a special thanks to my beta HalfJillHalfJack that made coherency out of this mess.**

**Names: all unisex names have stayed the same and the only one you might have trouble with is Lola- Carlos.**

Cameron snickered as he watched what would surely be another infamous 'Big Time Rush fight' when Lola careened purposefully in Logan. They accidently knocked Guitar Chick over in the process, who had been strumming her guitar to accompany Logan's poorly thought out serenade.

Poor Guitar chick... she always seemed to walk away bruised whenever she hung out with the seemingly harmless girl band.

"Wow... girls from California are weird..." Joe laughed in a blameless sort of way as Jamie and Kendall entered the fray. Cameron ignored him in favour of taking out his phone to video the fight- he LOVED that the Big Time Rush girls settled everything with violence. Especially since they never stooped themselves to fight like regular girls might. No, when they fought it was always full out brawls that would make Minnesota hardened hockey players cringe (a statement Kendall had once begrudgingly admitted, that had been proven after the borrowed/stolen sweater ice fight of 2009.)

With any luck Lola would rip Logan's shirt and he could die a happy, happy man.

"Nah- there like from Minnesota, so you can't really blame California." 'And why would you want to?' he thought happily- it ended up being Kendall's shirt had been torn at the bottom and while Kendall was no Logan- she still had a rather impressive midriff. And all was well.

"Ah girls," Joe called down with a wince "I think your um- serenading was very flattering and all but I actually already have a girlfriend."

They immediately ceased their fighting with varied sounds of disappointment and Logan shrugged off her cardigan and handed it to Kendall. The blonde took it gratefully.

They only looked put out for a second longer before they decided to continue their squabbling (though disappointingly only with their words...)

"I can't believe you ruined ANOTHER one of my shirts Jaime!"

"I'm doing the world a favour Kendall, no one person should wear that much plaid- especially when you're not even wearing a button up!"

Cameron sighed- Kendall and Jaime fighting about Kendall's fashion sense stopped being fun months ago so he turned back to his new blonde friend. "Wait... I thought you said you were single?"

"I am- but I'm kinda afraid of those girls... even if they are super hot."

"Logan is mine."

"What?"

"Nothing," Cameron muttered innocently and looked back down at the escalating Jaime/Kendall fight Logan was trying to break up. 'Aw she was SO cute- and way too small to be trying to separate the two angry amazons.' Cameron thought to himself before he was struck with an idea.

"Hey Jaime" he called down and the pretty brunette's attention snapped to him immediately "I was going to watch project runway- wanna join?"

"God yes!" she brushed the dirt off her skinny jeans and gave him the thumbs up "I totally need some TLC after that allergy attack."

Lola giggled as she let Logan help adjust her hair back into her usual trademark tight and sleek ponytail "you looked like Crusty The Crab from SpongeBob."

"Why you little-"

"She can't" Kendall yelled up to Cameron, she was holding her phone in her hand "It seems my little bro has 'inspired' Giustina and she finished the song."

"Who's texting you?" Lola asked curiously trying to peek at the phone. But Kendall just used her superior height to keep it out of her reach.

"Just Kelly- he's keeping me updated since I'm the leader here" she said smugly and dodged when Jaime tried to take another swipe at her.

"Says who?"

Kendall snorted, "Ah- says EVERYBODY" she shot her two darker haired friends a grin and then they nodded along with the statement. Kendall had been ruling their collective world for years- Jaime was the only one in avid denial about it though.

"Just cause you act like your queen of the world doesn't mean you ARE!"

"Let's just go guys... Kelly is gonna pick us up in five," Logan told them fiddling with her phone as well and tugging on Kendall's sleeve. Kendall immediately fell into line with her and let herself be pulled along.

"Why does everyone but me have Kelly's number?" Jaime whined looking a little affronted and Lola laughed patting her on the back.

"What so you can clog up his inbox with things like 'Kelly do you think I'm prettier than Kendall?' or 'why isn't there a female pronoun for man hole? that's kind of sexist."

"Where is that even coming from?"

Lola held up her phone a waved in around "because those are the messages you sent me in the last ten minuets we've been STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER!"

"Come on!" Logan reappeared and grabbed each girl by the wrist "I am not putting up with Giustina's rant just cause you can't have petty arguments and walk at the same time."

The girls trailed off to presumably record a song and Cameron sighed heavily- everything was so less amusing without them around...

"Do YOU want to watch project runway with me?" he eyed Joe hopefully- Joe was a pretty effeminate looking guy (even if he didn't act like one) and had turned down four girls at once. Maybe Cameron would luck out and he'd be gay and he'd finally have a guy friend who wanted to watch fashion reality and wouldn't ridicule him for getting Mani Pedi's with Jamie…

"Uh not really," Joe gave him an apologetic shrug "but I kind of like top model- Tyra Banks is hot."

Cameron cocked his head, he wasn't sure if Joe was compensating or if he really did naturally seesaw between masculine and feminine so quickly he gave Cameron whiplash.

"Sure- though Tyra's not my type..."

"What's your type?"

"Logan Mitchell."

******BTR******

"I'm not sure if this is okay Cameron... it seems a bit stalkerish" Joe grimaced as they ducked out of sight before the girls spotted them.

"Oh it is- but don't worry, BTR is the biggest group of stalkers I've ever seen. If they ever found out I'm pretty sure they'd be flattered" Cameron assured him.

Actually he was pretty sure Kendall would kill him in his sleep if she ever found out they were stalking Logan... The blonde was ALWAYS around and Cameron couldn't very well approach Logan with her 'bodyguard' around.

Kendall Knight may not look much; she was tall for a girl and thin. If it weren't for her unfortunately shaped eyebrows she'd probably have the fit the bill as a 'natural type' model (though the plaid really did make her look more like a farm girl.)

She was certainly not a woman to be tested though- former captain of her school's hockey team; Kendall was a legitimate force to be reckoned with (and had a hell of a right hook among other things...)

A lightbulb went off in Cameron's head and he gave Joe a sideways glance.

"You should go talk to her," Cameron suggested in a way that sounded a lot like an order. "She's totally hot and she was way into you when you got here."

"Yeah cause I was shiny and new- none of those girls have looked at me twice since" Joe frowned but he gaze lingered on Kendall.

Cameron was genuinely please Joe seemed to favour Kendall. Being best friends with the (objectively) smoking hot Jaime and looking more on the tomboy side (with exception of her impressively long hair) Kendall really didn't have confidence about guys liking her.

"She totally has- she draws your name with little hearts around them in class" Cameron encouraged him. This was of course in no way true and seemed more like something the lovesick Lola would do but that was irrelevant.

Joe stood up suddenly before he sat back down it defeat, "I told her I had a girlfriend."

"Then tell her you lied" Cameron shrugged "or that you broke up because she wasn't looking for a serious relationship."

"Orrrr" Joe grinned brightly "I can talk about my FAKE girlfriend... Trina! To suss Kendall out and show her what a great boyfriend I can be!"

Wow... that was a terrible idea.

"Joe... that's a terrible idea" Cameron told him seriously "you don't want to start a relationship built on lies and manipulation?"

"Better than starting an imaginary relationship built on stalking" Joe gestured at the binoculars Cameron was holding.

"What these?" Cameron asked in a high pitch tone and waved them around "these aren't even real- they're a prop for my teen spy audition," he threw them away casually. Wincing inwardly- those binoculars had been expensive.

"You expect me to believe you wouldn't use real binoculars as a prop after you used that REAL explosive last month for your action guy audition?"

"Action guy threw himself off a cliff- how was I supposed to display my range without an explosion?"

Joe snorted, "oh Cameron" he put one patronising hand on his shoulder. "Don't you know you shouldn't base a relationship on lies- now if you excuse me, there is a pretty blonde I need to talk too."

Joe walked off with a spring in his step and Cameron called after him "why do I feel like you didn't learn anything from our talk?"

******BTR******

"Check it out Jaime" Cameron waved his new script in the beautiful girl's face. "I got a call back- go on, congratulate me!"

Jaime lowered her shades and raised her eyebrow, "Cameron" she drawled "can you see I'm tanning?" he looked down and realised she was only wearing a modest, spaghetti strapped bikini.

Oh...

"Oh!" he clicked his fingers and moved out of her sun, "you don't usually tan at this time- I thought ten was tan time because it was so alliterative."

"The Jonathan's are here- salivating over what they can't have," she smirked and Cameron turned to see the three pretty boys relaxing by the pool looking decidedly cool and unaffected. Cameron didn't doubt they were annoyed however- they thrived on women being infatuated with them. And Jaime's decided disinterest after a few short days of interest left them seething.

"So are you ever going to give up the ghost and date one of them?" Cameron asked with a raised eyebrow, Jaime was a notoriously aggressive dater and was rarely seen without somebody on her arm. Though let it never be said Jaime Diamond was easy- she liked attention, but she never resorted to compromising behaviour to get it.

That was probably why she constantly had someone NEW on her arm.

"Maybe," she said thoughtfully "it could be fun- I'm sure whichever Jonathan I picked would be guaranteed to be one half of The Palmwood's newest power couple."

"Or you could date all three at once- they're so close I bet they'd be into it." Cameron snorted and then cringed with horror when he saw her actually considering it.

"Jaime-Lynn Elizabeth Diamond!"

"Hey don't you dare full first name me," she glared at him "especially when YOUR real name isn't any better!"

Cameron rubbed his temples "alright this conversation has turned into a loaded gun situation, just gently put down the firearm and back away slowly."

"Hey, what y'all talking about?" Logan appeared next to them, she had clearly been in the pool. Her medium length jet black hair was pulled back into a messy braid, and her shirt was soaked revealing the outline of a darkly coloured tankini top.

"I- I what? I mean, sorry... What was the question?" Cameron asked distractedly and Jaime took it upon herself to smack him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You know what that was for," Jaime told him somewhere between a growl and a giggle (THAT'S why she wasn't his type- she was clearly a psycho.)

Something quick and vaguely violent happened out of the corner of his eye and Lola seemed to have run and jumped onto Logan's back.

She was similarly dressed in a wet tankini top and board shorts and her long back hair was loose for once and hanging in tendrils on her face. "Logie," she whined "you left halfway through the game- who am I going to water wrestle now?"

"Shit I missed water wrestling?" is what he wanted to say, but his head was still smarting from the first thump Jaime had given him.

"I'm busy" Logan glared and Lola took notice of the other two for the first time. A devious smirk crossed her face and she sent Cameron a wink.

"Ohhhhhh I get it!" she snickered, "YOUR jealous that Cameron is over here hanging out with Jaime when she said no one was aloud to approach her during tanning time."

"Not even!" though Logan's voice suddenly took a very distinct high octave and Cameron entered his happy place.

She was so into him.

It was time to go for it! Okay... he didn't expect to have an audience but Cameron was an actor for God's sake! He didn't wimp out just because it was a little less intimate than he had planned (Joe said it was super creepy he actually commit 'asking Logan out' plans to paper- but he had an imaginary girlfriend so what did he know?)

"So um Logan- I was uh wondering if you ah wanted to hang out later?"

Cameron winced 'hang out?' that was way to ambiguous! Quick fix it. FIX IT NOW!

"It's just my manager gave me these tickets..." practically stuffed them in his hand actually- while mumbling furiously that he hated his brother in law's stupid birthday present SO much. "Four in fact and..."

"You want us all to come?" Logan put together "where?"

"NO! I mean no- ah just you... I've already given the other two away... to JOE! Joe and his totally real girlfriend!"

"Um okay..." Logan laughed. "I'd love to meet Joe's girlfriend- is she coming down for the weekend? I think this'll be just the thing to stop getting Kendall's hopes up about Joe."

"Um- yeah right... Anyway, here's the ticket- we need to be there for eight" he stuffed the ticket in her hand and made a mental note to call Joe and tell them they were going to a...

"A Minnesota Wild game?" Logan squealed excitedly and hugged the ticket protectively to her chest when the other two girls excitedly tried to grab at it.

"That's like hockey right? You guys like hockey?"

Of course she did but Cameron wanted to see her nod with a mixture of excitement and gratefulness on her face.

"This is so cool! I have to go tell Kendall!" she ran off before halting and coming back. She kissed Cameron on the cheek hesitantly "thanks Cameron," she told him with a soft smile and a blush to her cheek.

She ran off again and Cameron went stock still, holding his cheek as is if it might desert him.

"Oh hey Cameron," Jaime laughed and stretched back in her chair "Congratulations on the role."

"What? Oh yeah... thanks" Cameron replied with a goofy smile.

"Oh and Cameron good luck" Jaime gave him a sly grin.

"Hmm why?"

"HOW CAN YOU BE GOING TO A MINNESOTA WILD GAME IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HOCKEY?"

Lola was next to him surprisingly fast "don't worry Cameron we've got all afternoon- I WILL FIX YOU!"

"Wait no-" Lola picked him up bridal style and rushed off with him leaving Jaime to get back to tanning. She put her sunglasses back on and closed her eyes.

Suddenly a cool darkness covered her and she opened her eyes to find the blonde Jonathan standing in front of her.

"So... do you wanna hang out tonight or something?" he asked her with a careful look of disinterest plastered on his face and Jaime sighed and took her sunglasses off her face.

'Did NO ONE respect tanning time?'

"Do you want to take me to a hockey game?" she asked seriously and he shrugged.

"I thought we could just make out..."

She looked him up and down and put her sunglasses back on, "yeah- I'm gonna pass."

******BTR******

"It's a shame that your... girlfriend couldn't make it," Logan said delicately and Joe gave her a worried shrug.

"Yes- um real shame, oh those must be our seats!" Joe pointed eagerly and Kendall grinned and offered him some chips from her bag.

"Well I'm glad she couldn't come- oh um I don't wish her harm I just um ah just am really glad the you invited me... I'm putting my foot in my mouth again aren't I?" Kendall blushed darkly and pushed her hair in front of her face to hide herself.

Joe pushed her hair out of her face and gave her a warm smile "don't worry Ken-doll I think it's cute." their eyes locked and Joe's heart starting racing and he was understanding why Cameron had said the fake girlfriend thing was a terrible idea... if he didn't have a fake girlfriend he could have Kendall as a real girlfriend.

He was an idiot.

"Ow!" he cried when a sharp pain suddenly appeared in his shin.

"Opps was that MY foot?" Cameron asked innocently as he turned back to his conversation with Logan in one fluid movement.

"So Lola really gave you a crash course in hockey?" Logan laughed and Cameron flushed, partly because the story was embarrassing but mostly because Logan had a really cute laugh.

"I think you're forgetting the part where she picked me up like a ragdoll and kidnapped me to an undisclosed location!" Cameron punctuates with wild hand gestures and Logan sniggered behind her hand.

"Undisclosed?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and he scowled at her momentarily.

"I had to be blindfolded- but there was a rink, and all these guys that showed me hockey moves. Why does Lola have guys for that?"

"Lola has a guy for everything" Logan laughed, "that's not even the weirdest one either- hey Ken do you remember Lola's cat guy?"

"Not as weird as her light up sock guy- I can't see her needing him to often," Kendall chimed in a giggle and took her seat.

Cameron grinned, "wow what type of guy DOESN'T Lola have?"

"A boyfriend" both girls chorused and Cameron made a mental note to set the enthusiastic girl up with someone- shouldn't be too hard. For a girl with tomboy interests Lola was surprisingly into girly dresses and all the other things boys liked about girly girls.

She also liked to cannon ball into the pool from the roof... yeah, that wouldn't be too hard at all.

"Oh look the pre-game talk is happening, shut up!"

Both girls were uniquely full on while watching the game. Kendall seemed to completely forget Joe was there in favour of bouncing between screaming at the players to 'punch someone for Christ's sake!' and muttering about how she would have done if she were on the ice.

Logan however seemed to be a never-ending commentary on what was happening and why, down to possible plays they could be using and background stats on the players. Cameron felt that even if he knew nothing about hockey, listening to Logan talk about the game would make him an expert in no time.

As it was, Cameron just sat back and watched grown men beat the shit out of each other whilst on skates, with Logan's voice as pleasant background noise.

It couldn't have been a better date if Logan had known they were on one.

Personally Cameron blamed Joe.

He had it all planned- a double date so as to not to put too much pressure on, and then later they would separate and have a romantic dinner for two. Logan would realise she loved him and after an appropriate amount of time had passed (a month- maybe two max) they would elope.

But then Joe brought Kendall- not his imaginary girlfriend and Cameron was desperately trying to claw he way out of the friend zone.

Joe was a bastard.

What was worse- Joe was making more progress with Kendall then he was with Logan, which was just not fair.

They waited after the game closed to the ice and way too close to the locker rooms, so the girls could wait for the players.

"You should tell her it was meant to be date- Logan's a genius most of the time... but sometimes she's a real ditz." Kendall muttered and Cameron winced.

"Thanks for the advice, now let me give you some- you could do better" he nodded over at Joe who was trying to strike up an awkward conversation with a fairly uncooperative Logan.

"Oh I know," Kendall smirked "but it's fun trying to trip him up right?"

"You kno-"

"Of course" Kendall snorted and then added with some reluctance, "Chris heard him talking about it with his dad over the phone- you know if he wasn't interested he could have just said."

"Would that have stopped you?" Cameron raised his eyebrow and Kendall snorted.

"No probably not- him having a fake girlfriend didn't stop me" she sniggered. "How about you? What would stop you?"

"Nothing," Cameron said confidently and then added, "except maybe her telling me to stop."

Kendall beamed at him and patted him on the shoulder, "then... I approve. She deserves someone who's really into her."

A looked of pure excitement crossed his face, "really?" he launched himself at Kendall and gave her a tackle/hug in return.

"Hey" Joe called out in an annoyed tone "break it up over there- the players are coming out."

With a squeal Kendall was up and away, leaving Cameron on the floor. Logan stuck out his hand to help him up "you okay?"

"I am now" he told her softly and made sure not to let go of her hand until she was absolutely sure this was a date.

******BTR******

"You should carry the one" Logan told Taylor and the red headed girl furiously scrubbed out her answer with a look of anger on her face.

Logan had picked up some extra tutoring to fill the gaps of the week so she wasn't waiting around for Cameron to call. Because he clearly wasn't. It had been a week and she was in absolute radio silence from him, she hadn't even seen him near the pool, practicing his lines on some unsuspecting Palmwoods resident.

"Logan."

Logan looked up to find Kendall's little brother looking up at her; she gave him a wonky smile. Logan turned to Taylor and sighed, "Maybe that's enough for one day Taylor."

"Oh thank God!" Taylor threw up her hands excitedly and ran away so fast she almost tripped several times.

"DON'T FORGET YOUR TEXTBOOK!" Logan called out in vain as it just made the ten year old run away faster. Chris picked it up and flicked through the books pages casually.

"You know we're not supposed to learn algebra for ages right?" He quirked his eyebrow and Logan refused to blush but sank a little in her chair.

"It never hurts to be prepared" she muttered and he patted her on the head.

"This about Cameron?" he asked and she shrugged which he took as a yes. "You shouldn't take it personal- he's choking trying to call you," Chris sniggered "he's more nervous to talk to you than for his audition today."

Cameron had mentioned an audition on their not-a-date and Logan's face lit up. She grabbed Chris by the shoulders "quick Chris- do you know where the audition is?"

"Sure" he grinned slyly "I know everything about everyone- though why do you want to know?"

"I think," a smirked crossed Logan's face "that it's time to go on the offensive about this whole dating thing."

Chris grinned at her "FINALLY! How can I help?"

******BTR******

Logan had never managed to be the aggressor in ANY relationship she'd ever been in but Kendall said sometimes boys like to be wooed (though they would never admit it.)

So Logan thought she'd give that a go and paced the building where Cameron's audition was.

This was always the part where Logan chocked though- because she was a girl. She enjoyed being a girl because she didn't usually HAVE to do this kind of bold romantic gesture.

But Cameron could be worth it.

Cameron was worth it.

Logan had assumed that the audition would be in a separate room and not out in the open where she had apparently walked in.

Logan really should get over her stage fright. Really. She was a sort of maybe pop star for crying out loud! It was not on, but at that moment she was stock still just inside the door as Cameron paced furiously reciting his lines.

"It's not like I've never imagined us… together but I-" his eye caught Logan's and for a second he was almost as shocked as she was. The casting director turned to see Logan and Cameron acted fast, trying to regain his attention. He focused his eyes on Logan and begun to recite the lines to her instead and that's incredibly easy because Cameron is doing the big 'romantic confession' scene.

He had been planning on paraphrasing the script when he finally called her anyway.

"There are so many things I wish I could tell you" he walked over to her and is relieved when the casting director doesn't yell cut and he can pretend to 'Carmen the vampire prince' talking to Jessica the mortal girl with Logan. Jessica is a boring name though- and the female protagonist is flat on the page but Logan unknowingly breathes life into the character just by reacting to him.

He puts his hand on her cheek and he could just die that she's letting him, she is a bit unfocused but Cameron can't focus on that when he's thinking about the script or more like the END of the script.

"But I cant…"

This was an obvious dream sequence of the vampire prince, as Jessica never even says a word- like he couldn't imagine what she would say. The expression of Logan's face is almost enchanted and Cameron knows he's skipping lines when he leans down and presses his lips to her.

This is the part of the audition where they yell cut- cause you can't very well make out with yourself but Logan is here… pushing her lips open is easy and he's at least conscious enough to pull her into a deep romantic dip as he starts to explore the inside of her mouth. Though she's not quite kissing back and…

"CUT!"

Everything slips into sharp focus and Cameron actually lets go of her in surprise and she falls to the floor with a dull thud.

Oh God! He just kissed Logan Mitchell.

Oh God! He'd just DROPPED Logan Mitchell!

She in turn held up a bunch of soft dusty roses that Cameron hadn't even noticed she was holding and thrusted them into his hands as best she could from the floor. "Ah" she stumbled and her face was bright red "I-I brought you these- I mean-"

She jumped up "I have to go."

And bolted out of the room leaving Cameron with a bunch of roses and a very confused expression. Which was a huge jump from the elation he felt when she had grabbed his lapels- she could have kissed him back. She might of…

Was he hallucinating that? Or had he just forced a girl he liked to kiss him?

Oh God he was a twilight character!

The horror.

The casting director jumped up and clapped passionately "brilliant!" he declared with enthusiasm "and the ACTRESS you used for the scene- she was PERFECT! You must give me the number for her agent- the chemistry between you! And the almost enchanted forced quality of the kiss… it almost appeared as if she truly was in shock."

Cameron sunk to his knees and covered his eyes "no, no, no."

Logan would never date him now.

******BTR******

Kendall was dressed in a white tank top and white skinny jeans and would look ravishing if she didn't look so damn pissed off.

"He did WHAT?"

"Kissed me" Logan muttered her ears bright red and she drew another stray lock of hair behind her ear and adjusted her white headband. It matched her white and cream frilled shirt and short white and beige checked skirt accompanied with knee socks.

"Curse Gossip girl" Jaime growled and readjusted her long silk white dress pulling it so the slit up her leg didn't boarder on indecent. "How dare they set this kind of horrible standard of attire for female teens- and I am not doing another photo shoot on a beach or in a bed or by the pool with you guys. I feel like we're doing underage soft porn!"

"No get back to the part where Cameron kissed you" Lola encouraged, not nearly as uncomfortable as everyone else in a plain white tee-shirt and fitting beige trousers. "Was he a good kisser? Was he better than Toby Alton in then ninth grade?"

"ANYONE would be better than Toby Alton from the ninth grade" Logan wrinkled her nose "and thanks for reminding me of that fun little spin the bottle misadventure- I can add him to my list of guys who forcibly kissed me."

"He was JUST playing a character Logan," Jaime rolled her eyes "what's the big flipping deal?"

Kendall glared at her and pulled Logan close to her patting her head "Cameron shouldn't have been that forward- you know how Logan get's about boys."

"He was ACTING- and Logan could stand to get over her BOY issues, it's SO not cool to be afraid of boys."

"I'm not afraid of Cameron" Logan insisted "he- he caught me by surprise is all. I went in there with a big romantic gesture planned for him" she frowned. "I was going to be bold… and um I was going to dip HIM! And I CERTAINLY wouldn't have dropped him."

"How did he do it?" Lola asked curiously and Logan rolled her eyes grabbing the Latina by the waist and dipping her close to the ground; their noses so close they were almost touched.

"And then he dropped me" Logan said flatly but Lola had seemed to have gotten all giggly and flushed just from being held in such a manner and wasn't listening. "Lola" she sighed, "I'm not actually a boy."

"Even if she's flat like one" Jaime sang and Logan spared a glare she turned her head back to Lola to pull her up when… FLASH.

"This will be peeeerrrfect" the photographer purred and petted his camera as he took another shot before Logan and Lola could spring apart. "Though it might work better with the two prettier girls."

"EXCUSE ME?" Kelly walked in with his hands on his hips assessing the situation with one brutal look at the photographer. "What the HELL kind of photo session IS THIS?"

Kelly dragged the man by the ear, but not before awkwardly trying to pat the devastated looking Lola. "You are very pretty Lola, all you girls are- the photographer is a jerk… a FIERD jerk." Before dragging the man away.

"Kelly thinks I'm pretty" Lola gloated and Jaime rolled her eyes "of course- we're all hot. I thought you KNEW that."

"Sometimes I forget" Lola mumbled with a waning smile and Jaime gives her a brief squeeze of her shoulder.

"I'm starting to suspect this was starting to go down child porn avenue" Kendall shuddered. "Do you think we can get out of these ridiculous clothes- hey! Where are our clothes?"

******BTR******

"Your um- your" Cameron stammered and averted his eyes from Logan. He shucked his coat off and chucked it forcefully at her "could" his voice was far to high "could you PLEASE just put this on?"

"It's just a white school girl uniform Cameron" she rolled her eyes, "It's not even that bad- I mean I don't even get why he thought this would appeal to any demographic- I really don't have the legs to pull off a pleated skirt without tights."

Oh God. Logan in tights… Logan without tights in a white school girl uniform. He might just expire.

"Please just put the God Damned jacket on" he covered his face, what if someone saw and realised how attractive she was. What if the Jonathon's saw? He really didn't need that kind of competition when he was tying to win her back- and she had always displayed a heavy interest at those stupid pretty boys.

"This is a mighty over reaction if you ask me- didn't you SEE what Jaime was WEARING?"

"YES WELL JAIME ISN'T MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Cameron's hand fell slack and his mouth fell open and Logan was back in her sights.

She was wearing the lettermen's jacket Cameron had been wearing because he had been practicing a role for Summer Night's High.

The jacket wasn't helping anyone.

"I'm your girlfriend now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and her hands were resting on her hips… okay Cameron don't look at her hips- you'll end up looking at her legs and that would be the wrong thing to do in this situation.

"No- I mean YES-wait I mean-"

She put a finger to his lips and hushed him "don't ask me out Cameron."

Cameron remembered what he said to Kendall- that he would pursue Logan until she said to stop.

And she had.

Cameron was so depressed he couldn't even enjoy watching her walk away.

******BTR******

"And then… she just LEFT?" Joe said incredulously "I don't get her- you called her your girlfriend and she dumped you and I pretended to have a girlfriend and managed to score a real one."

"Yes life is incredibly unfair" Cameron moaned covering his eyes "and you still don't deserve Kendall by the way- I don't understand why she's giving you a chance."

"Because she's a girl- they're ridiculous" Chris offered popping up between them "plus- on your first non-date you took her to a hockey game. Now just pretend you like hockey and you're good."

"Do I have to?" Joe whined and Cameron didn't even bother to restrain himself as he smacked Joe hard over the head.

"You are an idiot! Kendall Knight- the six foot blonde amazon is letting you DATE her and you can't even PRETEND to share some common interests with her?"

"Are you sure YOU don't want to date my sister?" Chris sighed and sent Joe a nasty look "you're creepy as hell sometimes but you'd totally treat her right."

"It wouldn't work" Cameron groaned, "I'm madly in love with her best friend."

"Yeah well THAT'S a mood killer" Chris snickered and grabbed Cameron's arm. "Look- I know things kind of went south with Logan, and I'm willing to admit part of that MAY have been my fault so I'm going to do you a solid."

"What kind of solid?" Cameron eyes the brunette boy suspiciously and Chris gave him a blinding smile oozing with Knight charm.

Chris pulled out a ticket, "ONE ticket to tonight's cabaret production- it's dinner and a show."

Cameron took the ticket and stroked his chin "well… I do love a show."

"Exactly- take the night off from being… well you. Enjoy sitting in front of someone just as dramatic as you while they wax on in song about how wonderful slash terrible life is."

"Sounds fun" Joe said sarcastically and Cameron elbowed him.

"Sounds like a night out with YOU actually- you know what Chris thanks. I think this is just what I need."

******BTR******

Cameron is running late and that's a bit shit.

His shirt isn't ironed and he's wearing sneakers instead of dress shoes and no one should have really let him into the cabaret joint at all. But they did and a burly black woman who looked vaguely familiar escorted him to his seat.

"Thanks freight train" a feminie voice called and when the woman moved there was Logan. In a beautiful midnight blue dress that stopped at her knees, her hair was falling in the natural curl she usually ironed out at and she was wearing a necklace he may or may not have given her for valentine's day under the guise of a secret admirer.

She pulled out his chair for him and he sat down and she sat across from him. She handed him a long stemmed rose and he took it dumbly.

"So… I was talking to Joe" she told him and Cameron even in his blissed out confusion could still internally groan at those words. "He told me- that no one had ever asked you out before…"

That… well that was true. But it was the guy's job to ask out the girl so Cameron had never really been all that bothered by it.

"So I thought this may take more of my A game… something with a little flair. Are you impressed?"

"Very" Cameron's face broke into a smile "so… when you said you didn't want me to ask you out that was because-"

"I wanted to ask you- so will you?" She suddenly looked nervous like she had no IDEA how into her he is, "go out with me."

"Well…" he drawled out like he had to think it over when he's already choreographing a happy dance he fully intended to execute in the hall. "Of course! I mean look- we're already out!"

Logan smiled warmly and rested her chin on her hands and Cameron couldn't believe she's even looking at his direction let alone looking at him with THAT expression.

"So why the cabaret?"

She laughed "why the hockey game? I thought it was your turn to have fun."

He grabbed her hand "I'm with you aren't I?" and she let him keep his hand over hers and he wondered if he leant in right now if she would kiss him back.

But no. He knew better now than to try and make that kind of move on the first date and he realised that dating Logan was going to test his limits on his restraint. He'd manage though… for Logan.

"So tell me something about yourself" she said awkwardly breaking eye contact, they had known each other for a while but there was something about first date protocol that made her revert.

"How about I tell you a secret" he told her quietly and gave her a sneaky smile she's never seen. "Something I've never told anyone-"

She leant in and nodded.

"When I moved to California I changed my name," his cheeks flushed because the only person who knew this from California was Jaime- and only cause she tickle tortured it out of him. "I used to go by Camille… it's not a very good actors' name though."

"Camille… the alter server" Logan seemed to be rolling the word around in her mouth and Cameron loved the way she said his name- BOTH his names. "I like it… don't you know uni-sex names are in?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him in a joking manner.

"Like Logan?" he grinned and she gave him a small smile and ran her finger along the inseam of his hand.

"It was Hortense actually- I had it changed when I was fourteen."

"Pretty" he told her sincerely, though he wasn't just talking about the name.

"Thank you."

******BTR******

"Can you see anything?" Jaime hissed and pushed Lola down so she could peer through the planter herself. Kendall handed the brunette the binoculars and Joe sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You know… when you told me you wanted to go on a group date- this isn't what I thought you meant…"

Kendall snorted, "Just pretend Jaime and Lola are a couple- they practically are anyway."

"Here you can hold the binoculars" Jaime handed them to Lola thoughtfully "I don't' want you to strain your eyes."

"Strike that they might as well be married" Kendall snickered and played with the wig she was wearing.

"Why are we doing this?" Joe whined and the three girls looked at him as if HE were the insane person hiding in the bush (okay he was… but it was totally THEIR idea!)

"This is Logan and Cameron's first date" Lola exclaimed and Jaime nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! What if something goes wrong… or he messes up again!"

"I thought he didn't mess up in the first place," Joe pointed out "I mean the whole angry thing was just a ploy so she could take him out on this romantic candle lit cabaret themed dinner."

"Ohhh the show's starting" Jaime bounced on her knees in excitement.

"It IS actually so you might want to quite down."

They turned to find Logan and Cameron staring down at them with amusement and annoyance.

"Ohhhhhhh we're busted right?"

Cameron shrugged with a sigh "nah- you wanna join us?"

The three girls leapt up.

"Awesome."

"He's a kepper Logan, a KEEPER!"

"Is it too late to order?"

"You might actually be the best" Logan sighed and kissed him on the cheek "maybe… we can ditch them later and take a walk on the beach."

"I'm holding you to that" he grinned.

"You can hold me anyway you like."

**Please review **


	7. Finding a family

**Author's note: I'm meant to be finishing a request involving kidnapping but I'm having trouble with pacing so that chapter should be a little while longer. Instead I convinced my beta to take a look at this (I actually wrote this a while ago.) I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed.**

Camille unfolds the ad in the newspaper and then folds it again. She folds it into a square, and then a star and then for a while she tries to see if it's true that you can't fold a piece of paper more than seven times (it is- she can't.)

And then she smoothed it out again.

She needs this job. College is… well. Really expensive and her parents always believed in all that sink or swim bullshit so she was well and truly on her own with not enough money to stay in the shitty little apartment she shared with three other people.

Oh God she was going to have to drop out and-

"Just ring the blasted number Cami- it's a BABYSITTING job not working with NASA" Kendall mocked leaning over her to grab his text book that was mixed up with hers and there was one book on French imperialism so Selana must have left her books there too. He was going to have a mess of a time sorting that out.

"It's a nanny position" Camille winced and started folding the paper again "I'm not sure I'm qualified."

Kendall rolled his eyes and nicked the paper out of her hands before she ripped the damn thing. "People who don't speak English do this job- people with no VISAS do this job! I think a skinny white girl from Connecticut will have NO problem landing this job."

Camille sent him a sour look but he merely batted his eyelashes as he finally freed his book about Shakespeare from the pile with a triumphant 'whoop.'

He tossed her his phone with a wiggle of his eyebrows "you'll land it- if you move out… Selana and James would murder each other within twenty four hours of your departure."

"They're adults now Kendall" she snorted and grabbed the ad back "I'm sure they don't need me to mediate their lover's spats."

"Oh yeah?" he laughed "well what about that week you went home for thanksgiving and they had to call the fire department?" He gave her a smug look and waited for her to retract her comment but she just scowled in his direction. Just another reason she needed this job- her roommates couldn't handle a romantic relationship without her reluctant intervention.

"It'll be fine," she decided in a dismissive tone "Selana has been banned from the kitchen and James has enough money to buy a small third world country Chinese take out of dinner."

"Well what about-"

"Our roommates are not children Kendall," she told him in a high clipped tone that only made him grin like a fool.

"Trust me if you can handle THEM you can handle" Kendall picked up the newspaper "Jennifer… oh look she's intelligent, rambunctious and needs creative stimulation- she does sound like James and Selana."

"What sounds like me and Selana?" James walked into the room taking a large bite out of a sandwich and placing a coffee into Camille's hand.

"I'm taking up babysitting" Camille said in a decided tone and Kendall let out a whoop of enthusiasm. James gave her a withering stare.

"You compared me and my girlfriend to children- I'm tempted to take that coffee back" he gestured at the cup Camille was taking a greedy sip from. She held it high out of his reach.

"Nooooooo- you know that's the only thing you know how to cook."

"That's the key to life" he winked at her "you decide which things are important and you do them better than anyone else."

"And he does" Selana called from the bedroom and James smirked at them.

"Have we managed to sound proof their room?" Camille asked Kendall urgently and the blonde shook his head sadly.

"We need at least a dozen more egg cartons to do that."

James rolled his eyes "you are NOT covering my walls with egg cartons!"

"That's not for you to decide!" Kendall almost screeched at him and set about convincing Camille to make a soufflé'- that would give him at least another carton.

******BTR******

The house is nicer than she expected, but she should have known better. If you could afford to hire someone to look after your child during the summer just so you (presumably) didn't have to deal with them you could afford to live in the nice side of the neighbourhood.

She knocked twice, her hand shaking. She didn't want it to be shaking- but no one ever wanted to hire the college kid and Camille really did need this job.

Even if it was just for the summer.

A girl opened the door.

Or would she be classified as a teenager?

Camille felt like she might faint.

"Are you Camille?" the girl asked- presumably Jennifer, the girl she was supposed to be looking after. If she even got the job that is. The girl scrunched up her nose "hellllllooo" she waved her hand in her face "are you dumb?"

"Excuse me?" Camille broke out her stupor to give the girl an appalled look. She hadn't even been there more than five minuets and the girl was already giving her sass.

"Dumb- you know like you can't speak," Jennifer rolled her eyes "don't have a cow- it was just a question." she grabbed her hand and pulled her in "well come ON- papi is going to want to meet you if you want a hope in hell of getting hired."

Camille brushed off the comment- she should have expected Jennifer to be a brat. She was privileged as well as being a teenager (which just made everyone a jerk.)

The first thing she noticed about the house... there were boxes EVERYWHERE.

Camille would assume they had just moved in, but Jennifer was just a little TOO practiced maneuvering around the boxes for that to be true.

Work-a-holic parents she decided. Or maybe not, she had just assumed Jennifer had two parents but she had only ever spoken to the father. A single dad would make sense.

"PAPI" Jennifer screamed and Camille covered her ears in surprise- that girl had quite a set of lungs on her.

"WHAT IS IT JEN?" a masculine voice called out from the kitchen and Camille caught Jennifer roll her eyes in an affectionate manner before calling out.

"YOUR APPILICANT IS HERE."

"Oh you won't get me again girl" a voice laughed, suddenly much closer "but I know she's not supposed to be here until... SHI- I mean cra- God damn it!"

There was a crash and a short Latino man stumbled into view. He had wide brown eyes and the beginnings of age were showing- but he couldn't be more than thirty... with a teenage daughter.

"I'm twelve papi- you CAN swear if you need too," Jennifer told him cheekily and he flicked her with a tea towel in response.

The resemblance was uncanny between the two.

"Camille Roberts?" he asked, suddenly sounding professional and looking older- though nothing could hide the childish humour in his eyes. She decided right then that she might actually like this guy.

"Oh um yes" she stuck out her hand but he didn't take it, holding up his dirty hands apologetically with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Sorry- I was cooking and lost track of time."

"Always do" Jennifer muttered and her father ran his dough covered hand down her face in retaliation. She let out a disgusted sound and grabbed the tea towel off the table to scrub furiously at her face.

"I'm Carlos Garcia... which I'm sure you already knew" he gave her an awkward smile and she realised he had mentioned his name on the phone- but it wasn't the same name on the initial advert. Strange.

"Why don't we take this into the kitchen."

The kitchen is some glorious masterpiece of design and Camille (who has never been able to cook anything more complicated than mac and cheese and simple bake goods) had the unusual urge to cook something. Everything was expensive and state of the art and USED (which you just didn't see in these kinds of houses.)

"Wow... this is... wow."

"It's for papi's business- he works as a caterer," Jennifer gestured at all the equipment blazoned with their last name.

Garcia's catering.

James had once invited (see: forced) them to go to one of his mum's boring retreats and they had it catered by the Garcia catering company.

Everything had been ridiculously good and she and Kendall had embarrassed the crap out of James with their overly friendly behaviour towards the buffet table. But too be fair, they were poor college students and everything had been insanely delicious.

And free.

The free part was especially important.

"Wow- Garcia Catering is YOUR company? Your food is like... insane."

"Thank you" Carlos flushed and gave her a small grin "it was actually my aunt's company and I took over when she retired- we're in the process of turning it into a restaurant. Thus the need for a babysitter."

"And that's where I come in" Camille grinned.

"Yes- well you came highly recommended from the Diamond family-"

Thank you James and your ability to sound twice your age on the phone.

"But it was your work with teenagers at camp Wonky Donkey that had me interested."

That... well that reference was actually a real one from years of camp counseling over the summer. She was glad the owners obviously remembered the hours upon hours she spent reorganizing the activity schedule every time she went back.

"So I think the question now is- why do you want the job?"

"Would it be wrong to say for the money?" she asked honestly and he laughed.

"Not at all- it would be a nice to hear a bit of honesty for once."

She flushed "well it's not just that- I'm studying early childhood education and I genuinely like working with kids."

"I'm not a kid" Jennifer butted in and Carlos plopped a mixing bowl into her hands swiftly.

"Jen- why don't you finish mixing this for me while I talk to Camille."

She grumbled as she shuffled off and Camille let out a small laugh. "I know you're not honey- the ad didn't say your age. Not that I mind teenagers- they're... fun."

Jennifer actually gave her a genuine smile and laughed loudly "I can get you to change your assessment on THAT."

He gave her a weary smile, "to be honest with you- you're the first applicant I've liked all day and Jen seems to like you."

"I don't see HOW you could mistake thinly bailed threats for affection- but your dating record is starting to make a lot more sense" Jen snickered but Carlos seemed used to this kind of interruption and powered through it.

"It's just you are rather young-"

"Dad said no one under 25" Jennifer sang out from her place behind the counter "no way you're 25- your old but you're not ANCIENT."

Camille was stopped by the change in terms- was she flip flopping between English and Spanish for any particular reason? Or just to unnerve Camille.

"I'm very mature for my age" she told him, and then in an after thought "I also speak Spanish a bit if that's what you prefer her speaking at home." She desperately hoped that wasn't the case- she flunked sophomore Spanish and had never looked back.

"No that's not necessary- not... everyone in this household speaks Spanish, and we don't like to leave people out." Carlos told her and Camille could feel this job slipping through her fingers like when she was little and tried to keep sea water in her hands.

"I can drive and I've been heavily involved in teenage enrichment activities since I was Jennifer's age."

'I also really, REALLY need this job.'

Carlos cocked his head and smiled at her "how about a trial? Stay this afternoon and then we'll see okay?"

"Papi I don't think-"

"You're not the boss of me" he wiggled his finger in Jennifer's direction, appearing to have the sense of humour of a teenager himself.

"Yeah- but I bet the boss of YOU will be mad" Jennifer snarled and Carlos grinned.

"Probably."

******BTR******

"She was cute Ken" Camille gushed "and he even hired me even though he was looking for someone older- isn't that lucky!"

Kendall gave her a large grin and Selana rolled her eyes stealing an egg roll from her. "Seems suspicious if you ask me- don't you think they sounded a little desperate to hire someone. I think she must be a little monster- I mean who needs a babysitter at thirteen? when I was thirteen I looked after myself."

"Your parents couldn't AFFORD someone to look after you, it had nothing to do with your age" Camille rolled her eyes- Selana and Camille had grown up in the same neighbourhood and seemed to have been the only two who got out.

"I think it has to do with her accident proneness I think- she fell down six times while I was there and almost set a tea towel on fire. Nothing I can't handle though," Camille said confidently and stole some honey chicken off Selana's plate as payback.

"Yeah shut up Selana- Camille has a real job now" James elbowed her "that pays REAL money- meaning she can FINALLY stop scraping by on the rent and bullying us into buying her food."

"I do not" Camille replied in outrage even though she had paid for exactly none of the meal they were consuming.

"Lay off James" Kendall told him leaping to Camille's defense, "We didn't ALL grow up with a silver spoon in our mouths- just because YOU'RE downgrading to live here doesn't mean you have to be an ass."

"Hey" James flicked his rice at Kendall "are you still holding on to that? I'm SORRY you feel that I'm acting superior- you know it's only cause I am."

Kendall tackled James to the ground and Camille and Selana scrambled to save the food- they couldn't afford NOT to have leftovers. It'd be what they'd be eating for the next few days.

"Break it up boys" Camille warned them, pulling Kendall off of James in one smooth motion. "No violence around the table... well coffee table if you want to be technical."

"See" Kendall beamed at her "you'll do great at this job- James is looking severely chastised about the whole thing." the both turned to see James was indeed sulking like a child.

At least he was until Selana decide to pity him and smooshed their faces together in their odd display of affection. Camille had never been quite sure what that was about- only that Selana might be the only person to out do Camille is self created relationship drama. Though she seemed to like to create drama of the more telenovla persuasion than Camille who was just attracted to the wrong type of guy.

That had a drama filled charm all of it's own.

"I don't have to do that to Jennifer if she's behaving do I?" Camille said in disgust and Kendall laughed.

"Oh THAT'S just a lawsuit waiting to happen- you could try it with the dad, you said he was cute right?"

"Kendall" she said in mock outrage "I think you know me better than to try something on with my boss."

"Yeah right- I know how you are with older guys" Kendall snorted and Camille smacked him.

"Hey smirky- that's MATURE guys not older guys. That why I've never been attracted to you or James."

"Never?" they both asked sounding disbelieving and Camille snickered and lied.

"Nope- never."

******BTR******

The fact that Jennifer was a difficult child to work with had been established early on when she attempted to bungee jump off the roof with nothing but a crude string bungee cord and a prayer.

Camille was much quicker than anticipated and grabbed her just before she swan dived off the second floor.

"What were you thinking?" Camille asked her, voice surprisingly even and calm since her body had been thrumming with adrenaline since she first saw the brunette walk up to the ledge.

Jennifer grinned and shrugged "I could have made it" she insisted.

"No" Camille gritted through her teeth "you couldn't have."

"Says you."

"Says physics!"

There were millions of books in the house, stuffed into bookshelves and spilled out and stacked onto the floor. So Camille makes Jennifer sort through them and sends her to her room with a copy on 'children's guide to physics' so she can think about the gravity of her actions.

Once Jennifer's door closes Camille is on the phone and calls Kendall.

"She's an adrenaline junkie Ken,"' she tells him as soon as he picked up the phone. "She's going to get herself killed! And I'm responsible for her!"

"Sounds like classic acting out" Kendall told her and she sighed deeply. "Breath through it Cam" he told her and she took a deep breath and practiced the meditation technique Mrs. Knight was always trying to convince her was a de-stressing miracle.

"What do I do?" she asked after she had explained the situation fully to him.

"What you did was fine Camille- your punishment was actually kind of hilarious." He laughed and she felt heat rise in her neck- Kendall would probably make a better babysitter than her. In fact she knew he would- he had practically raised his little sister while his mum worked two jobs and his dad was MIA.

"I'm not making fun of you Camille," he told her when she didn't respond. "She clearly craves attention- her father's working a lot more now and her mother... do you even know anything about her mother?"

"It hasn't come up- they don't act like a broken home though... or like there was a death in the family. Maybe she just left a long time ago?"

"Maybe she wasn't ever in the picture- is she adopted?"

"She looks just LIKE Carlos" Camille told him and there was a knock on the door before it opened a crack.

"Camille" Jennifer stuck her head into the room "I finished reading the physic's book."

"What's the law of gravity?" Kendall called loudly from the phone Camille had been holding to her chest.

"The law of gravity is that every point mass in the universe attracts every other point mass with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them." she said in a matter of fact tone and Camille gave her the thumbs up.

"I'll call you back Ken-" she told him before hanging up on him.

"Was that your boyfriend?" She asked curiously and Camille shook her head with a laugh.

"Kendall? God no- he's my roommate, we met in our intro drama credit last year... he's kind of my best friend."

"My best friend is a boy too," she told her conspiratorially "his name is Steve- he lives next door. Can I go visit him now?"

Camille nodded "I don't see why not- go put your shoes on."

Steve was a small boy for his age and immediately seemed infatuated with Camille- much to her embarrassment and Steve's father's eternal amusement.

"Come on Steve" Jennifer eventually pulled on his arm in annoyance "we're going skateboarding."

"Make sure you wear a helmet" Camille called and Steve's dad; Jett handed her a glass of lemonade.

"You're a braver soul than I to take on Jennifer- especially considering her dad."

"Carlos seemed alright to me" Camille defended her employer even though she hadn't known him all that long.

"You're right CARLOS is great- but he wasn't who I was thinking of."

Camille was about to ask exactly what he meant by that when they heard a sickening crash.

"Ten to one Jennifer's pushed Steve off his skateboard," Jett joked before they rushed out.

******BTR******

Jett had been right and Camille was the only one who was surprised- Jennifer apparently had a history of affectionate violence.

Apparently she also had a history for the regular type of violence- and that had been what had happened to Steve.

"Explain to me again why you tripped him off his skateboard?" Camille asked as she massaged her temples.

"He said that you were prettier than me," she huffed and crossed her arms like that justified anything. "Why did we have to come to the ER anyway?" she asked and something odd wavered in her voice.

"Of course we did! Didn't you want to see if Steve was going to be alright?"

"I have full confidence in the hospital staff here- let's just go and-"

"Jennifer Kathryn Garcia" a man strode up to her with an annoyed look on his face "do you realise what you did to Steven's arm?"

"I improved it?" she replied weakly and his glare intensified. "Is this the part where you ground me again?"

The man was a doctor (his white coat was proof enough at least) and Camille was struck at how beautiful he was. He had a crooked smile and large brown eyes- and the very beginnings of wear and tear were beginning to show on his face.

'This' was why Camille liked older men.

"Wait. What about grounding?" Camille said in a vacant daze and his eyes turned to Camille, she watched as he straightened himself out self-consciously.

"Oh um right- I'm Doctor Logan Mitchell" he told her and stuck out his hand "you must be Camille Roberts... the babysitter Carlos hired."

"Um yes- but who are?"

"This is my dad" Jennifer said glumly and Camille turned to her in surprise.

"I thought Carlos was your dad?"

"Papi is my Papi," she sighed as if it were obvious "Dad is my dad."

Oh.

Ohhh...

Camille suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable realising she had just been checking out what amounted to her OTHER boss.

Kendall would mock her now until the end of time.

"I thought Carlos would have explained..." he started and Camille raised her arm trying to spare him the embarrassment.

"Oh- um he did" she lied quickly "and it's fine. Totally fine."

Another gorgeous smile broke out over his face "I'm glad- some people don't particularly... understand my life choice. A- a lot of people have questioned my staying with Carlos and being with Jennifer."

"Oh I understand" she grinned "your daughter is... she's lovely, and Carlos... he's a great guy."

"I think so" he beamed "and uh thank you."

"For what?"

"Calling Jen my daughter" and a crumpled look briefly consumed his face and she reached out to him.

"I'm enjoying looking after your daughter" she promised- ignoring the fact she had nearly given her about three heart attacks in one day.

******BTR******

"They aren't married" Jennifer explained weeks later when she was more used to Camille and Camille had orientated herself to a world where her world revolved around a fourteen year old girl and her two busy fathers. "That's what bugs people I think- there are a lot of things people understand. But people never understand my dad."

Camille had spent weeks trying to get over her crush on the gay and happily married (well she guessed NOT _married_) Logan Mitchell.

She'd catch his eye in the hall and her heart would flutter. He was there for breakfast and he would tell her about stocks and finances and whatever surgery he was scheduled in for that day.

Then he'd hand Carlos a cup of coffee or laugh at whatever funny inappropriate thing Jennifer would say and Camille's bubble would burst.

Camille didn't tell Kendall about it- even though she usually told him everything. She swallowed down the feeling. It would go away. Eventually.

"You do though," Jennifer sighed "he always smiles when he sees you in the morning- I think he likes having someone who actually WANTS to talk about his boring work stuff. Me and Papi mostly just tune him out when he starts talking." Jennifer grins and let Camille finish plaiting her hair.

"I can't imagine why," Camille finished and turned Jennifer around so she could look at her.

"It's different for you- you haven't known him for long. Papi has had to put up with doctor dad since he was nine!"

"Your dads have known each other since they were nine?" Camille asked in surprise but was warmed- it was nice to see childhood sweethearts work out.

"Nah way longer than that" Jennifer snorted "I meant cause dad was nine when he wanted to become a doctor. Dad always said nothing was going to stop him graduating early and top of the class... but something did."

"What?" Camille asked curiously and a small smile blossomed across Jennifer's face.

"I did."

It only struck Camille then how long med school actually was- that he couldn't be more than five years out and he had a fourteen-year-old daughter.

"He always said I was the greatest surprise he ever had. Though I don't think Papi thought so for a long time..."

"Jen," Camille sighed and pulled her into a hug "your Papi loves you SO much. Haven't you noticed?"

"He tells me everyday... but I know how much easier it could have been for him... for dad as well. Okay ESPECIALLY for dad, but they had me anyway."

Camille started thinking about Jennifer's mother again. Logan had obviously forgiven Carlos for the circumstances that surrounded her birth. But Carlos might never have forgiven himself.

It shouldn't matter so much to Camille- it was just a stupid job to pay the bills.

Until it wasn't.

******BTR******

Carlos invited her to the grand opening of his restaurant when Jennifer decided that she didn't want to go. She had recently made friends with two girls who were also called Jennifer and one of them had decided to host a sleepover.

Camille considered inviting James along, who loved that sort of thing, but she didn't want Carlos to think she was the kind of girl who dated James Diamond. So she brought Selana along instead (the kind of girl who actually DID date James Diamond) and decided to make a night of it.

The restaurant 'Rush' was sure to be a big hit- down to its pretentious name, so Selana was incredibly excited to be there.

"You didn't tell me you're the babysitter to the owner of 'Rush'- people have been trying to get into this restaurant before he even THOUGHT of it. My sister has been on a list for a YEAR!" she squealed and pulled out her phone.

"Text gloating?" Camille asked in some amusement, wondering not for the first time if she should have brought a date along to this thing. For some reason that it hadn't felt right. She hoped that feeling didn't have anything to do with Logan Mitchell because she couldn't be that pathetic.

She just couldn't be.

"Oh hi C-Camille."

Logan was standing in front of her like an apparition and her eyes went wide, seeing him dressed up in a suit and a blonde woman on his arm.

"Hi Dr. Mitchell" she said glumly, even his FAG HAG seemed more sophisticated and beautiful than SHE'D ever be. The blonde gave her a gentle smile but Logan was staring at her in confusion.

"I told you to call me Logan- you don't call Carlos Mr. Garcia," he bit his lip and she spared him a tight smile.

"Sorry Dr. Mitchell" Selana elbowed her and Camille rolled her eyes "oh- and this is my friend Selana."

"Oh- I thought this might be the best friend Kendall" Logan grinned and Selana laughed.

"Oh no- Kendall is a guy," she gave Logan a flirty smile, "I think one day they'll get married though."

"Is that right?" he asked like he didn't want to know the answer.

"Didn't you say that you know a boy name Kendall, Lo? It's supposed to be more of a unisex name now."

He stared at the blonde in surprise and then back to the girls. "Oh- where are my manners- Camille, Selana this is my friend Jo. We've known each other since high school."

"We used to date" Jo laughed "before he left me for Carlos" she sighed dramatically seemingly enjoying the annoyed look on Logan's face.

"You know that's not how that went down" Logan snipped, and Camille grinned. They sort of acted like Kendall and Camille did- like they had been friends their whole life (though in Jo and Logan's case they really had been.)

"You should join us," Jo told the girls "we're at that table," she pointed at where several tables had been pushed together to accommodate the group. Carlos was arguing with someone at the head of the table.

Once he noticed them he waved and gestured them over.

"I wouldn't want to intrude" Camille blushed and Jo grabbed her hand.

"No way- it'd be nice to have some young blood mixed in with all these old folks." she pulled Camille along and Camille saw Logan help Selana up and escort her with much less enthusiasm but twice the decorum of Jo.

"Guys" Jo stopped at the table "this is Camille- Jennifer's nanny."

"Hey!" Carlos complained "shouldn't I be giving those kinds of introductions."

"Shouldn't you be ah- WORKING?" Logan interrupted and shot him a look.

Carlos rolled his eyes "yes dear" and patted Camille on the shoulder. "I'm glad you came. It... means a lot," then he walked away.

"Camille," Jett waved her over and Camille grabbed Selana's hand and took her over to him.

"You're so obvious" Jo snickered to Logan and he glared at her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know what your lovesick face looks like; I remember it from when we were fifteen, eighteen, twenty two... and for a couple of months when we were twenty six."

Logan slapped his hand over her mouth "I told you to never to speak of that" he hissed at her and she snickered.

"What am I not the love of your life anymore?" Jo batted her eyelashes with a laugh and then stopped when he didn't reply. She stared at him with an open mouthed grin "Oh my God- you DO like her!"

"Shut. Up."

"She's a baby Lo- you can't go out with a teenager!"

"She's twenty one," Logan corrected coolly but the blush was still high on his face.

"Dude really?" they turned to find Carlos' friend; Guitar dude listening in "but you didn't like twenty one year olds when you WERE twenty one."

"No that was just you" Logan glared and Guitar dude raised his hands in a defensive way. "Come on LoBro- you tried to take courses online so you didn't have to deal with college students. You said you had more intellectually simulating conversations with JENNIFER."

"She was intelligent for a one year old" Logan said defensively "and why are we even talking about this."

"Because your making eyes at the babysitter. Which makes you a cliché by the way," Jo told him and Logan sank into his chair. "Are you having like a midlife crisis?"

"No, It's just... look at her" they all turned and agreed Camille was kind of stunning with her hair pulled up and clothed in a stylish yet modest blue dress. "She's really smart and she gets along so well with Jennifer and... God. Is it lame that she's the first person I've ever felt instantly comfortable talking to?"

"No," Jo told him and patted him on the back "if she's cool with the whole kid thing- you should do something."

"What about Carlos?"

"What about him?" Jo sighed "I get it, he's like the love of your life and you'd do anything for him. I think you've proven that but... don't you deserve someone who you can actually be with? Aren't you sick of just friends?"

"I don't know, it was always nice having friends- I built a life on that."

"So maybe it's time to build a life on something else."

******BTR******

Camille invited James and Kendall over to study at the Garcia-Mitchell household midway through summer. Classes were supposed to be a killer in their final year and Carlos had cleared it for them to hang about his home. As long as they minded Jennifer and Steve who were mucking about in the pool out the back. Logan was apparently a bit paranoid when it came to Jennifer, Steve and the pool.

They had made it to the house all right but things had come to a standstill pretty quickly. Kendall had gotten stuck in the hall and traced a photo of the family with his fingertip in awe and Camille just KNEW they weren't going to get any work done.

"You didn't tell me her dad was CARLOS GARCIA!"

"Really? I'm sure I mentioned-" Camille tried to be flippant but Kendall wore a look crossed between excitement and annoyance.

"And that" he pointed harshly at the picture "is LOGAN MITCHELL."

"So?"

"I grew up with him!" Kendall gestured wildly and James laughed.

"Dude that guy has to be like- THIRTY, he's ancient."

"Yeah but when I was seven he was eighteen- he used to babysit me!" he said excited and Camille tried to wrack her brain to what Kendall had mentioned about his formative years.

Kendall's dad had left when he was seven.

"He used to babysit me until he was twenty and they had that kid- his friend had to drop out of college so they could look after her. Mum helped them a lot since they were sort of lost about the whole baby thing."

"Twenty?" James interrupted "dude- WE'RE like twenty."

"Exactly that's why they needed her help- they even named the kid after mum" Kendall said proudly.

"Wait, wait how did two twenty year olds dudes ADOPT a baby it the first place" James scoffed "it's sort of frowned upon."

"What homosexual parents or young parents?" Camille asked.

"Both- but one of those didn't really apply to us" they spun around and found Logan standing in the doorway. He brushed past them and picked up a briefcase

"I uh- forgot this."

"Logan!" Kendall grinned so widely that his face might split in half and Logan laughed and gave him a hug.

"Wow Kendall- it's been forever."

"No reunion" James whined, "I'm DYING of curiosity- this is better than watching Spanish novelas with Selana and not just cause it's in English."

"Carlos didn't actually ever tell you ANYTHING about our circumstance did he?"

Camille shook her head in embarrassment "it's okay... I worked it out."

"I don't think you have. God this is just like Carlos, he'd rather everyone assume we're gay than have to explain Sasha."

******BTR******

_Thirteen years ago_

"Can you believe she even wants to go out with me? I mean... just LOOK at her" Carlos gushed and gestured to the pretty girl sitting near the front of the lecture theatre.

"I wouldn't start carving your initials into a tree or anything Carlos" Jo rolled her eyes and laced her fingers with Logan's. "Sasha is a grade A bitch- she wouldn't know a good guy if he was standing in front of her."

"But she agreed to go out with Carlos" Logan argued, finally tuning into the conversation his friends were having and tuning out the boring drone of the old professor. "So you at least know she has good taste."

"Yeah Jo, why can't you just be happy for me? I'm FINALLY going to have a girlfriend- I can finally have what you guys have... only less breaking up."

"Breaking up is part of our charm" Jo winked and Logan slung his arm around her and gave Carlos' shoulder a squeeze. "Besides- making up is the best part."

"Ew- to much information!" Carlos balked and Jo let out a giggle.

"Don't act like this is new information Carlos- you and Logan ARE roommates."

"He HAS to be my roommate," Logan added with a sly grin "who else would have me?"

"I'm sure there's someone" Jo rolled her eyes and Carlos gave them both a wary look.

"You two aren't breaking up are you?"

"No way. Anyway we are talking about your relationship not ours" Jo went back to glaring at the pretty brunette. "There's just something not right."

"Oh because NO pretty girl would EVER want to date me?"

"She didn't mean it like that" Logan said in a soothing tone and nudged Jo away so he could sit next to him. She complied with a great sigh and her customary eye roll.

"I don't see why you two don't just date each other- you already act like your married."

"We would" Carlos swung his legs onto Logan's lap and stroked his arm suggestively "but our children would look like mules- and I can't go around having mule children." Logan shoved his legs off and gave them all a stern look to get them to listen to the lecture and nothing more was said about the questionable-ness of Sasha; Carlos' would be girlfriend for another two months.

Carlos knocked on the Knight's door and Logan opened the door with a small blonde boy clinging to his shoulders and a toddler in his arms. Carlos saw him and just burst out into thick heavy sobs.

He fell into Logan's arms (after they're toddler free, of course) like it's the only thing left to do. Logan strokes his hair and gets Kendall to help him make tea (the little blonde boy had always been distressed at the sight of someone crying.)

"She said it was a bet- that b-being with me was just some kind of sick bet with her stupid friends and now- and now-"

Logan's heart was breaking for Carlos and he didn't know what to do with all these angry emotions that were swelling up in him.

"Am I that much of a joke Logan? That the only reason anyone would ever want me is because of a bet?"

"No- Carlos... you know you've always been the best thing that happened to me," Logan told him and let the smaller man cling to him tighter. "I'd always hoped that counted for something- you saved me in high school from... everything. You know I wouldn't be... I mean you know I'd be..."

Carlos covered Logan's mouth, not wanting for Logan to say what they were both thinking. About the dark mark that hovered over their high school careers, like a cancer.

"It's not the same though Logan" Carlos told him flatly "its not the same at all and now- and now I need you to help me. I don't know what to do!"

"Should we egg her house?" Logan suggested half seriously and Carlos sobbed laughed because that sounded like such a Jo thing to say and he cant stop himself from blurting out the last thing Logan would ever expect to hear.

"She's pregnant Logan."

"W-what?" Carlos and Sasha had barely been together two months- when had they even?

"She's not keeping it Logan- but I- that's MY baby Logan. I MADE it and I can't- I can't just-"

"I'll talk to her" Logan told her firmly "but what are you going to do? You can't even take care of yourself."

"I HAVE to Logan, I can't NOT."

"I- I love you, you know that right?" Logan told him "and if- and if you decide... well you know we can do this. You can get a job, and I can take off a semester and we can pull this together."

"How are you going to convince Sasha?" Carlos asked him, tears almost subsided and Logan gave him one of his patented grins. Things fell into place if Logan said they would so Carlos didn't even think about exactly what Logan was offering him.

"Trust me my friend convincing Sasha will be the easy part. You know her mother is the chairwoman of the pro-life foundation- she's looking for a moral out… and I'm about to give it to her."

******BTR******

"And then Kendall made me like twelve cups of tea" Logan laughed too easy for the grief stricken faces they were wearing. It at least made James look less like he wanted to stab something and made Kendall's face break out into a small smile at the memory.

"You were both crying" Kendall laughed, "I thought Carlos had broken you."

"You offered to defend my honour against him- it was very chivalrous of you," Logan smirked and Kendall flushed.

"I'm sure he didn't need a kid trying to beat him with a plastic sword while he was going through that."

"What happened after that?" Camille asked quietly, her eyes never leaving Logan's face.

"Well Sasha agreed... thank God, and nine months later Carlos took her home and we never really heard from Sasha again. Kendall's mum was a saint teaching us HOW to look after her and we named her Jennifer because well... it was a better name than Sasha."

Logan cast a fond look at a photo further down the hall of Carlos holding baby Jennifer, Logan to his right and a red headed woman holding two children of differing ages to his left.

"When she was two she called Logan daddy" they all turned to find Carlos standing in the door. "Sorry to interrupt I just forgot my-"

"It's fine- it's been one of those days" Logan laughed and Carlos stood close enough to him that it was like they were supporting each other up.

"What did you do when that happened?" James asked because he apparently had no shame and was heavily invested in the story.

"I taught her how to say Papi and made Logan sign some guardianship papers- I would have asked the day I found out Sasha was pregnant but I was SO sure Logan wouldn't be sticking around. She wasn't his child or his responsibility."

"You vastly underestimate me my friend" Logan laughed and patted the man fondly on the head.

"Aw" James sighed "your bosses are way better than mine Cam." then he smirked "How is it fair that you guys love each other more than me and my girlfriend without being IN love?"

"Years of practice" Carlos laughed.

"Also we tend to fight a lot when no one else is around" Logan added.

The door open and a wet Jennifer walked in "Dad? Papi?" she exclaimed in surprised enthusiasm "are you guys staying home?"

"Suddenly our missing stuff makes more sense." Carlos muttered and Logan stifled a laugh.

"I have a restaurant to run sweetie."

"I was just running errands- I can stick around for a while longer" Logan added and picked up Carlos' checking book from the coffee table and threw it at him. "Have a nice day at work dear."

Carlos saluted him and gave him a wink, "always."

******BTR******

Camille wasn't able to get Logan alone for nearly two weeks and she's only finally accomplished it by accosting him at the end of one of his shifts and locking them in the on call room.

"Camille?" he said in surprise and there was an encouraging redness creeping up his neck when she pressed against him.

"You're quitting aren't you? Most people find it to uncomfortable when they find out I am not actually related to Jen... I get it really. It sort of makes me a live in uncle and they always think-"

Camille covered his mouth "you've been avoiding me."

"Of course I have" Logan told her surprisingly loud "you couldn't even- when I told you- after you didn't even LOOK at me. You know Jen really likes you and I don't want her suffering just because-"

"You're not gay," she stated and it ended his rambling quite effectively.

"Oh um no, actually. I mean it's not something I'm against and it probably would have made things a hell of a lot easier if we had been but-"

"What happened with Jo? In the story- one minuet she was there-"

"And the next she wasn't" Logan said grimly. "We were never going to be in it for the long hall- for the longest time I thought she was my one true love... but then I saw that little girl... anyway, Jo never could stand sharing and she didn't like kids."

Logan raised his hands in defense "I mean she likes them now- we always were trying to make it work but she met someone else and I already had someone else. TWO someone else's actually."

Camille cocked her head and then smiled. "Okay then I've made a decision."

"What is it?" he asked fearfully and her face looked determined- which did not inspire confidence to him.

"Will you go out with me?"

"W-what?"

"Like on a date- I mean summer is over in a week and Jen and I are both going back to school... oh, are you hesitant about the age gap? Because I'm actually very mature for my a-"

"Yes," he told her quickly covering her mouth "I'd uh- love to go out with you."

They stood too close with silly grins on their faces. "I haven't been on a date in years," he confessed in a warning tone but she merely shrugged with a grin. "And I'm old" he added as if to test her, "well... at least a lot older than you."

"I don't care."

"I have a child so-"

"Logan" she put her hand on his arm starling him "do you... maybe want to hold my hand." he looked down at her hand and then at her face and down at her hand once more.

"Yes" he confessed, lacing their fingers together.

And once he held on- he found himself not wanting to ever let go.

**Please read and review**


	8. Finding an escape

**Author's note: I am seriously having a bad week and if this chapter feels a little off it's partly to blame, also it was a difficult prompt for me to fill but hopefully no white horse for me will like it. The prompt is as follows: ****Camille is kidnapped by four boys but, even though they kidnapped her, they treat her like a princess. She doesn't know why, but she knows two things: 1)one of the boys is in love with her and 2)she's pretty sure she's falling in love with Logan. **

**Yes I'm aware that I didn't manage to fulfill the entire prompt, um sorry about that. Only I would see this prompt and think spies immediately.**

Camille sits down at her closest coffee house (exactly three buildings from her dorm- she doesn't even have to leave campus) she sits down the small flat white in the middle of the table. She hated coffee, but it's rude to use someone's wifi without buying something. Their muffins look questionable and Camille doesn't like sweet things anyway.

People who enjoy Starbucks generally seem to not enjoy Camille. It was an unfortunate irreconcilable difference.

She opens her laptop and checks her email.

There's a message from Lucy and Camille hovers her mouse over it. Lucy never used to just drop her a line- not even a short email, until five and a half months ago when the emails started coming in like clockwork.

At first Camille had been concerned and had to check nobody was dead. Camille would be the one emailing Lucy if that happened though anyway- it wasn't like Lucy actually kept in touch with the family. Grandma Roberts was actually in better shape than either of her granddaughters and their parents were assholes and therefore destined to live forever.

Camille had always thought (in the dark depressing recesses of her mind) that if anyone would die suddenly it would be Lucy. She was the most reckless person Camille had ever met and it had been a full time job in their childhood for Camille to clean up her big sister's messes.

Some habits are harder to break than others.

The email is encrypted, and that's another annoying little thing between them. Lucy liked to encode everything she sent to Camille and Camille had eventually gained a knack for decrypting them and discovering the messages underneath. Once when she was twelve Lucy left a note of the fridge that had read- ertr piy pg ,o;l hpmr yp yjr dyptr.

It was at that point Camille realised Lucy just liked to fuck with her.

It would be instructions where to pick up the USB with the ACTUAL puzzle on it. Camille didn't know why Lucy liked to send her these little games- it wasn't like Lucy could decrypt for shit herself so she wondered who exactly was involved in setting up the games. Camille was the one who had learned to love that type of thing- that was why she was study computer science with a minor in lost languages.

Suddenly the screen went black- no. Her vision had gone black. Someone was covering her eyes.

"Guess who?" A melodic voice sang into her ear and Camille couldn't help but smile a little.

"Oh… I don't know can I get a hint?"

Steve let her push his hands down and she leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled and it might as well be like someone had set the table on fire, the way he lit up a room.

And he was her boyfriend.

Camille had met Steve at a lecture for her English requirement. He was a TA and had told her shortly after he'd worked up the nerve to introduce himself that she had instantly captivated him. Camille had told him she had written him off as being insanely out of her league and tried not to look directly at him in case you could actually go blind from staring at someone that attractive. Kind of like looking directly at the sun, but worse because the sun could smile and wink at you as you leave a lecture.

He had eventually asked her out and she thought 'this is too good to be true.'

The irony would become evident to her later.

"Whatcha working on" he asked her sweetly and she shut the laptop with a sudden snap. She wouldn't get much done now anyway.

"Just something for my sister" she said casually. He frowned at her. She didn't blame him. She was a seriously private person to begin with (something he was slowly chipping away at) but her past… her sister. It was those things that she held closest and tightest to her chest.

It was the only way she was ever going to feel close to her sister again.

"What's her name again?" He asked stroking his hair absentmindedly "It was… Lucy right? What does the lady of the dawn have to say?" He asked her taking one of her hands and using the other to play with her hair fondly.

"That I am the alter server" she joked, buying into his name game he was playing with her, he did seem to enjoy language "I apparently live to serve her."

"No seriously what did she-"

"I've told you a thousand times Steve!" She snapped and then looked at him shamefully as something akin to resign passed over his face. "Look baby don't be like this. You KNOW I don't like to talk about this- it seems like every time we talk, it comes around to her… why is that. She's not even HERE."

Lucy Roberts. Stealing boyfriends apparently from halfway across the world.

Egypt or Rome or wherever the else her fancy bullshit job takes her.

She sighed and ordered a tea.

******BTR******

She should have known better than to order a tea from Starbucks.

The tea tasted funny. That should have been the first clue. Okay... that should have been the twelve hundredth clue really, but this one was the first one that she actively noticed.

When she was in here a couple of months ago (before she started dating Steve) when someone had once drugged her drink while she was at some lame frat party. Her lab partner had; picked her up bridal style and returned her to her dorm room. It was pretty decent of him considering he didn't know her that well then. Although she did strongly suspect he did it just so he could give her an earful about protecting her drink later.

The thing she remembered about it though was how tasteless it had been. She hadn't even realised she'd been roofied until it had been far too late.

So she had attributed strange tasting tea to being simply strange tasting tea. She didn't realise there were worse things that could be done to your tea.

"You all right babe?" her boyfriend asked taking her hand, he looked shifty. Well shifter than usual anyway.

"Babe?" He repeated in a perfect replica of his previous questioning tone, though now it was tinged with concern.

"It's nothing Steve" she gave him a smile and it felt a little loose at the edges.

"Cool" he gave her a brilliant smile, "wouldn't want anything to happen to my little computer wiz" he said endearingly.

She did her best to scowl at him "don't call me that you know I hate it."

"You don't think you're good with computers?"

"Of course I am," she snapped and if she could think straight she might have thought it out of character. "You've seen the awards- you know what I can do."

"Do I?" Steve asked in mild amused curiosity, he was probably getting a kick out her unusually uncontrolled state.

"Yes" she said honestly "not that you understand what you know."

"What about your sister? Does she understand?"

"Why would you ask that?" she snapped but he didn't back down and just repeated the question until she felt almost compelled to answer.

"No- that's why she sends me things to decode for her."

"CIA encrypted data? About the government?"

"No- It's this game she plays- she sends me these profiles on USBs I send them back once I decode them. I think there from a RPG game or something- it's just her warped way of being friendly cause she doesn't know how to pick up a damn phone."

On some level (the dumb level) she believed that. That's probably why she's able to say it. It feels like the truth is slipping out of her mouth like vomit. It makes her feel sick and she's starting to strongly suspect it will be followed by REAL vomit.

"What profiles? Of people?"

Steve sounded urgent but it was like sand in her mouth. She nodded feebly before she started to dry heave.

"What kind of people?"

Camille was feeling green. She wasn't aware you could feel like a colour or if that was at all possible. What this really indicated to Camille was that she felt violently ill.

"Women. Jo Taylor. Alias: Natelie Poston, Mercedes Griffin. CIA operative current Born in 1989. Joined the CIA in 2007 she- she-"

She clutched her stomach as if her intestines were about to fall out. "Steve I don't feel so good-"

There was a quick sharp pain in the neck and she fell face first into her lukewarm tea.

Steve looked up in surprise only to find a small Latino man training a gun on his unconscious girlfriend. His hand was so steady he doubted anything could shake it. Nothing ever did shake this particular man.

"What the hell Carlos? That wasn't the plan!"

"Plans change," a voice told Steve in his ear "we've been well and truly compromised- she needs to be taken underground."

"That's bullshit!" he slammed his hands down and the few patrons of the restaurant sprang to life. Closing blinds and shutting the restaurant down with clinical efficiency.

"Jo Taylor is dead James. You can bet she's not the only one. Do you WANT this to rain down on our heads? She knows to much, she needs to be taken underground immediately."

"Jo wasn't killed by a rouge agent Carlos. We don't even know she's dead, she deep undercover in the Griffin family."

"She's dead James." Carlos told him gravely and it wasn't a question of how or when anymore. There was something in Carlos' tone that told him everything.

"We're about to get the orders anyway," the voice in James ear told him gently and James huffed.

"I hate when you two gang up on me" he pulled Camille back into a sitting position and carefully wiped the tea clean from her face.

"You're going to need to be there when she wakes up James- or Steve her boyfriend will at least." Carlos told him, frowning at the careful way James swept her hair off her face.

"Do I need to be telling you what to say for that too or do you think you can handle it?" the voice asked. If it hadn't been anyone else James would have called them out on being snide- but this particular man didn't do much besides being snide to James so it was pretty much a lost cause.

"I've never been Steve without you Logan" James admitted bitterly "I don't want to freak her out by acting..."

"Not like Steve," Logan finished for him. There was a shuffling over the earpiece and James could only assume he was nodding.

"You know we can't actually see you right Logan?" Carlos asked from his own microphone and you could almost hear him blush.

"Oh right... well... I mean-"

"This is why you get to stay in the van," Carols teased and Logan spluttered some more.

Two men came and picked Camille up and James had to restrain himself from snapping at them for doing it in such a cavalier manner. It was their JOB, the cleaners knew what they were doing James had to remind himself.

"We staying underground from here on out?" James voiced the question that weighed heavily on everyone's mind.

Carlos frowned. "I guess we'll know when we get the orders. You are to report to debrief at 1330 agent Diamond."

"Right" James said faintly and went to supervise the cleaners handling Camille.

"Logan you still there?" Carlos asked after a moment and there was more scuffling and the man didn't answer. "I know what you're thinking and… It's not about that" Carlos told him sternly "you work surveillance, the van is the best strategic place to keep you."

"Whatever you say," Logan said quietly before the line went dead.

Agent Carlos Garcia massaged his temple; it was shaping up to be one of those days.

******BTR******

Camille woke up strapped to a chair in a white room and she knew this was the part of the movie where she gets killed by the ax murderer. Or maybe a homicidal ex-doctor if the sterile white room was any indication.

She blinked, she had most defiantly crashed landed into her tea because it felt like she was blinking through what felt like bits of herbs.

Suddenly she was staring into two dark brown eyes and the scream that had been forming died on her lips. They eyes revealed nothing- but they weren't hard or cold. She focused her eyes on the dark swirl of slightly alarmed brown weaving through the iris and within seconds she was unconscious again but not before hearing an odd jumbled conversation.

"What did you do?" that voice sounded almost like her boyfriend's. Maybe it was.

"I just injected her with a sedative so she could sleep through this." another male voice, but this one was soft and soothing. Kind of like the voice of her pediatrician or how she imagined a mother might sound- a silky smooth tone with the specific intent to iron unpleasantness things out.

"You need to get out of my way James- she's going to go into hypovolemic shock if I don't give her some normal saline. Her stats are already starting to drop- Hand me the oxygen mask."

Everything was a messy blur after that and Camille convinced herself that when she woke up she would be in her apartment and this would all have been a nightmare.

******BTR******

Camille woke up in her dorm room, still a half asleep mess on her couch. She sat up like a startled deer and looked around her dorm room like it would morph back into the white room if she didn't take it all in immediately.

Had it really been just a dream?

Camille's hand went to the crook of her elbow and she couldn't find the tender flesh of pin prick to indicate she had been recently cumulated like she would gave needed to be to receive IV fluids.

Had she made the whole thing up? Had she imagined those deep brown eyes too? She fell back on the couch with a small bubble of hysterical laughter.

What a crazy dream to have. Had she watched one to many medical TV dramas and it was catching up to her in her subconscious. That somehow seemed wrong. It must have been something she ate.

The tea…

Had she even been at Starbucks or had that been apart of the fever dream too?

The email from her sister. Camille shot back up. Lucy hated it when Camille made her wait, she had thrown a massive bitch fit when Camille had left the game for a month in favour of finals. Lucy always acted like it was the end if the world when she couldn't play with her.

It was the only time Lucy talked to Camille so she was willing to indulge her if that's what it took for her to not shut her out like her parents had to her.

Her laptop was sitting on the coffee table, which was SO not where she left it. Steve was probably trying to check his emails on there again. To bad Camille had that thing password protected like NASA or the CIA or something. It wasn't like she had anything particularly damning on there- just some start up ideas for after college. She didn't want to be the person who bitched about having some great idea stolen.

Not that any of her ideas were great...

Okay. Maybe she was just paranoid.

She logged on and jumped the various other hoops she installed to protect her computer and logged on to her email account and pulled the file she needed.

Lucy always gave her the actual profiles via USB, though they were always encrypted to hell and nearly always virus loaded. She had gone through three computers this year. Once it had actually legitimately set her computer on fire and they were constantly wiping parts of her hard drive.

Lucy would send her a new computer with the USB (seriously what kind of bullshit money was she making anyway?) so Camille never got really upset about it (except that time she lost her biomechanics assignment. That had been a bitch.)

She had never successfully been able to keep a profile because the next USB had a tendency to wipe the previous profile from her computer.

Camille would have to be a special kind of idiot not to realise that this was all shady as hell. She'd never been able to say no to Lucy so she'd rather stay in blissful ignorance than know what her sister was actually up to. She didn't actually believe the CIA was involved (because it was Lucy. Come on.) But it was something Camille didn't want to know about.

Her mind flashed to the white room again as her eyes lingered on the encrypted profile.

Or WAS this all about the CIA? The NSA? Or any of the other non-government agencies she had read about on the profiles.

She thought about that one that had managed to stay on her computer for a while. Jo Taylor. Lucy always picked pictures of people way too attractive to be real, but there was something about Jo Taylor that made her pause. She was also the first profile Lucy ever sent her.

She had a quiet girl next-door quality to her, not any less beautiful than any of the others. Still there was something quite familiar about the face. She was a friend of Lucy's wasn't she?

So Lucy was fucking with her.

Camille sighed and threw her computer down and stood up and grabbed her keys. She needed to walk this off.

Just one small problem though.

The door wouldn't open.

******BTR******

"Subject appears agitated- gas the room," the man in a white lab coat barked viciously as he watched Camille through a camera.

"Of course she agitated. She's God damned near panicked. Her door won't open- her phone won't work. It's like a horror movie."

"We have to wait for orders for initial contact" he told the woman darkly and went back to glaring at Camille who was pulling at the door slowly becoming more and terrified.

"We have the orders" Agent Garcia walked up to them briskly and his brown-eyed friend trailed after him. "We just completed briefing- it seemed this stay has been... planned for some time."

"Thus the... faux dorm room" the woman asked with a certain level of disapproval she couldn't mask in her tone.

"It's standard for long term stays Kelly" the man told his partner "I'm sure the designers were thrilled they didn't have to reconstruct something bigger. Lazy bastards."

"Gustavo" she chided and both their eyes turned nervously to make contact with Agent Garcia. He gave them an easy but slightly unsettling smile in return.

"The designers have done a good enough job- I just think they're relieved we didn't bring in another genius." Agent Garcia let out a short laugh and it seemed to set both of them at ease.

Almost suddenly Logan appeared from behind Agent Garcia frightening everyone but the agent. "I wouldn't underestimate Camille Roberts" he warned "she's... resourceful." And an almost fond smile crossed his face briefly before melting back into his impassive one.

"There was nothing in the report," the women flicked through her chart.

"No there isn't Kelly" Logan told her and she flushed when the younger man remembered her name. "That just means that agent Diamond doesn't see her as a potential threat... but his judgment is..."

"Not to be discussed" agent Garcia said firmly, seeming to get ahold of himself before Logan said something they'd both regret. He turned to the brunette with a semi stern expression "I expect they'll be wanting you in the lab."

"They always want me in the lab" he rolled his eyes unconcerned "if they had their way I'd live in the lab."

"It has been suggested" agent Garcia said, though it wasn't clear if he was joking or not. Logan nodded curtly and turned taking off in the opposite direction. "That's not the way to the lab," he called out.

"No. I suppose it's not," Logan called out and turned a corner sharply.

"Having problems with your asset Garcia?"

The three remaining agents turned to find a blonde man in a suit. Agent Garcia frowned deeply. "Knight aren't you supposed to be undercover right now."

"I need to interrogate Diamond's asset" he nodded at the screen "but you're working slowly."

"We're on time-don't pretend you know anything about extraction procedure Knight, there is a reason you're exclusively a field agent."

"Touchy" he raised his hands with a grin "but you know I have an in here- before they removed me I was the initial agent assigned to Roberts."

"You were compromised I believe" Agent Diamond walked up to them after exiting the briefing room. "I was left to clean up your mess- I couldn't make a clean entry."

"Is that a euphemism for something?" Agent Knight wiggled his eyebrows and let out a bark of laughter when Diamond pulled a face. The blonde decided he was done messing with him and turned his attention back to agent Garcia.

"Well I don't mind waiting- I need a consultation anyway."

"No." Agent Garcia said firmly, him mouth twisted into a thin frown.

"Come on Carlos" he complained.

"Every time you have a 'consultation' with Logan you put thoughts in his head" agent Garcia growled.

"The two things aren't connected- look I'll be quick. Just a short hello."

"Haven't got friends on the outside Knight?" James sneered but the man just gave him a serene unflappable smile.

"None quite as interesting- I think I'll go find him."

******BTR******

Steve came out of the bathroom an hour after Camille had slumped at the door. "Babe?" he said unsurely "are you alright?" her eyes snapped open and she stared open mouthed at her boyfriend.

"Steve?" she stood up and raced to him. "You've been here the whole time? The door's stuck!"

"My fault" he raised his hands in a placating manner "I jammed it when I was carrying you in. You fell unconscious while we were at the coffee place."

So that at least, had not been a dream. Suddenly the dread was back and stronger than ever. She thought about those brown eyes again, and that voice spewing out medical terms she didn't understand.

Had she been in a hospital?

"You came round though" he said brightly "so I think we're good."

That didn't sound like Steve. Steve was paranoid about her safety and had seen so many medical dramas she was willing to bet he'd at least make a decent nurse.

Steve WOULD have taken her to the hospital.

"Steve are you okay?"

"What?" he played with his hair by his ear "shouldn't I be asking YOU that?"

James was sweating buckets, Logan had picked a shitty time to go AWOL and they needed information now. He had warned the higher ups that he needed back up for this.

James was smooth as anything (he was a spy after all) but unfortunately for him a quick background search on her exs revealed that she liked anything but his type. Logan (being the massive nerd that he was) had been giving him the correct responses for months.

Hell if it wasn't for the fact that Logan was an asset and not a spy he could have done this particular job several times better than James.

But Logan was just as much a prisoner as Camille was now.

"I'm here."

Logan's voice was suddenly in his ear. "Carlos caught me up- tell her that you were panicked and if you were unconscious any longer you would have taken her to hospital. If you were going to go the unconscious route we could have let her wake up in our hospital set up by the way."

James gritted his teeth subconsciously "sorry Cam... I've just been SO worried! If you hadn't have woken up soon I was going to rush you to hospital."

Camille raised her eyebrow but turned away "okay- so how do we jimmy the door open? I need to go to the library to study."

"You can study here" Logan said and James repeated "I've gotta call the front office about this."

"You know I can't" she rolled her eyes and walked over to wear her shoes were thrown down haphazardly. She went to slip her high heels and noticed the tell tail sign of an injection site in her foot.

Son of a bitch.

******BTR******

They locked her away in a room even though it was soon obvious to everyone else what had been clear to her extractors all along. Camille Roberts knew nothing of agent Lucy Stone and only of her scatterbrained flighty sister Lucy Roberts.

She didn't even know where that version of Lucy was.

Her computer had burned itself and the only trace that Lucy had ever been in contact with Camille was locked away in her memory.

There were no clues there either.

Camille's life was shattered into a million pieces and that seemed only the beginning.

It boggled James' mind to think that the government had detained his girlfriend... ex girlfriend (well never really a girlfriend) for no apparent reason.

If there was a reason it hadn't been revealed to Agent James Diamond. It wasn't like it was his case anymore or anything.

Agent Carlos Garcia had been assigned the case.

That was a big flashing warning sign to begin with. Carlos Garcia handled assets. More specifically a certain _kind_ of asset. Or even more specifically one certain asset in particular.

Logan Mitchell had been the voice in his head for the months when he had been Steve. If it hadn't worked so well James would have been horribly offended. He didn't like consultants- but Kendall's miserable attempts at contact proved James had to create a character entirely out of his wheelhouse…. and into Logan's.

James couldn't stand Logan Mitchell and not just for the obvious reasons. He didn't care about his sob story what James knew was that Logan was an insufferably smug prick and had the unnerving occupation as being Kendall 'the executioner' Knight's best friend.

"You're taking her to the lab!" James exclaimed to Carlos, a shocking amount of things were starting to make sense. After all Camille was a visionary when it came to codes- one of the few areas Logan struggled.

"Don't you DARE make her into one of Logan's henchmen Carlos!" he warned him and Carlos raised an eyebrow.

"It's Agent Garcia to you Agent Diamond."

James scoffed "I think we're way past the point of pleasantries Carlos- I've known you your whole life!"

He remembered a small enthusiastic boy with a knack for getting in trouble. A boy who wouldn't dream of hurting another living thing. A little boy named Carlos Garcia who shared lunch with a little boy named Jamie Stenson (before there were code names and lies and so much blood between them.)

That little boy was dead. How could he not be? The Garcia's were a great and noble legacy and Carlos was just the latest in a long line of spies.

"The decision has been made- I don't have the kind of authority to change it even if I wanted to." There was an unsaid statement left hanging in the air.

The fact that Carlos didn't want anything to do with it.

"Why let this happen to her?"

"She is in custody of the government Jamie" Carlos finally said, and the fact that he was calling him that right now was like salt in an open wound. "Worst things could have happened."

"Don't act like you care- you're not worried for me!"

He's worried about Logan, Carlos was worried about the mission. He didn't worry about James anymore.

******BTR******

"Where is this place?" Camille asked fearfully as Steve- no James brought her to a beautiful state of the art lab. If it had been any other time in any other place she would have been in genuine awe.

As it stood she just felt numb.

"The facility you are staying in isn't traditionally for housing civilians." James told her like he was gearing up for a long-winded explanation but Camille cut him short.

"Housing? I'm a prisoner here!"

"The facility was built for the creation of espionage weapons."

"Spy gear" she said doubtfully arms crossed "why would you tell me that? That sounds like so something that would be classified." The sarcastic twang grew heavier on her last words.

"Oh well then" he grinned, "I guess I'll have to kill you."

It would have been funny, Steve had a dark sense of humour and it would have been just like him. It wasn't however like James. He winced as Camille pulled well away from him.

"Actually the information IS classified... which is why you had to be given clearance."

"Why?"

James swiped a card and opened a door and a small cluttered lab laid itself out to her. Cluttered up and discarded were pieces of technology beyond her understanding. Beyond a regular or even genius understanding, and it seemed like a person was using them for various mundane reasons like as paper weights and a coat rack.

"Your country is asking something of you."

"My country never asked," she snarled and a young man- maybe a year or two her senior popped up from behind the bench. He was wearing a lab coat and when he looked up he possessed the haunting brown eyes that had been hounding her subconscious in that white room.

He had been the one to pump her full of pain meds, fluids and sedatives when she had succumbed to her subconscious.

She had assumed him a doctor (a young doctor, but a doctor none the less) but surrounded by fantastic gadgets and a lab coat it was clearly not the case.

He had been injecting her with all sorts of things and he was some kind of mad scientist.

That was sick.

"This is Camille" James told the man and he in turn rolled his eyes in the same manner that was so very familiar to Camille.

"Yeah I know James." He gave Camille an intense stare and shuffled slightly closer. There was something painfully familiar in his movements. In the way he spoke and held himself but she couldn't place it.

"I'm Camille Roberts" she introduced herself anyway "the government kidnapped me."

He laughed and it was a strange sound (like hearing a deaf person sing- a perfect mimic and yet something was foreign.)

"I'm Logan Mitchell," he told her and she briefly wondered if that was his real name. He gave her a smile that only seemed lift half his face "and me too."

******BTR******

Logan Mitchel recruited at six with test scores that had declared him a genius, Logan had grown up inside the very base they currently resided in and was handed off from agent to agent. Logan grew up to start project after project and ended up with his fingers in so many pies.

Logan was a rare thing to the government. Irreplaceable.

He explained all this to Camille with a certain misplaced level of pride, she couldn't be angry with him though. He didn't know any better.

He was an incredibly useful friend to have anyway.

The first thing he did for her was give her a swipe card, (with what she noted was a yearbook picture from high school.) he explained in was restricted. Very restricted, but not useless. It would open her room and the doors in her lab and it was more freedom than Camille had been in a fortnight.

"You're not supposed to have access to my lab, but I overrode the security and got you access to that room."

"C-could you do that for the front door?" Camille asked semi excited and Logan shook his head with a contemplative look on his face.

"I mean I COULD but all the guys with guns would stop us before we took a single step outside."

"Well that sucks" she sunk into a stool near the work place and surveyed the workspace. "Did you really create all those weapons?"

"I create a lot of stuff," he told her with a small time "I have a lot of free time."

"Like what?" she picked up something the shape of a gun but years on a shooting range with her father told her was certainly not a gun.

"You know smaller microchips, more accessible spy gadgets, oh and I made a portable music player for a friend of mine." he shuffled through a draw and pulled out a small iPod-esk music player.

She picked it up and surveyed it, becoming more impressed with each passing moment. "Well. This kicks the shit out of my iPod."

"You're what?"

"You've been outside right... it's not like you've never seen what outside looks like right?" Logan has lived in this facility for a long time, possibly forever (in relative terms.)

"Sometimes people borrow me for missions" he told her with a grin "but I have to stay in the van." he scratched his chin thoughtfully "Kendall and Lucy used to take me on leave sometimes but he's not aloud to do that since..."

Camille knows what he's thinking. What they told her. That her sister had killed people. A lot of people and was showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

All Camille remembered that when she thought about her was that, despite it all. That was her sister.

"Who's Kendall?"

"A spy- and Lucy's old partner. He's kind of the one trying to hunt her down now... he'll probably be looking to talk to you."

"Perceptive as always Logan."

They turned around to see Kendall. Or Camille actually turned around to see her old lab partner. Dak.

Son of a Bitch. Was nothing in her life real?

"I didn't mean to startle you Camille," he told her and she glared hatefully at him.

He barely resembled the man she knew; Dak had dark hair and a sweet dopey expression on his face. Kendall was all sharp edges and calculated looks.

Logan quietly grabbed her hand and gave it a sympathetic squeeze; she looked down at where their hands were intertwined a let out a little smile. Logan reminded her painfully of Steve sometimes. Only… Steve hadn't been real…

She let go of his hand.

"Why would you think that? Kendall was it?" she gave him a cool stare and was rewarded with a robust laugh from the blonde and he shot her a large smile that looked so very honest on his face.

"You know you really remind me of Lucy- she'd never admit it but you two are more similar than she thinks."

"So you think I'm going around murdering government agents?" she snapped, she didn't think that. Not even for a second. Not even after realise she knew nothing of the woman her sister was, only of the woman she used to be.

"Lucy isn't a murderer," he told her quietly and then turned to Logan "are the camera's down?"

The brunette nodded and pulled away to embrace the blonde. "I'm sorry- when I heard about Lucy…" Kendall gave Logan a very affectionate smile and Camille felt a similar rush of affection to the brunette. She had missed the sight of sincerity on someone's face. Logan Mitchell wasn't a bad person she decided. Troubled and desperately abused into something that sometimes startled her, but not bad.

"Logan helped kidnap you" Kendall told Camille "I thought we should tell you now so you know all the facts."

Camille had been wrong about a person's character before.

******BTR******

The facts were these, exactly six years ago Lucy Roberts was conscripted into the government and became Lucy Stone. Spy. She, Kendall and their friend Jo had formed a team early on. They were quickly raising through the ranks as one of the governments more… _proficient_ assassination teams they had. What they did… was considered art to all that appreciated that kind of thing.

Until that is, the Arthur Griffin case.

The government had suspected Arthur Griffin had orchestrated a crime of epic proportions when the data bases on several of the most impregnable fortresses; including the CIA, were hacked simultaneously. Mercedes Griffin an illegitimate and rarely thought of niece of the Arthur Griffin, CEO of RCM CBT Globalnet Saniod and crime boss had been switched out for a double. That double was their team member Jo Taylor. Only when she went deep undercover she never came back out.

Jo Taylor had been a poor girl who had grown into a poor woman and suddenly she wasn't that woman anymore. Sloppiness had lead to her discovery of treachery to Arthur Griffin and a deal of sorts was made.

Jo Taylor was the one who had gone rouge and Lucy had done something unspeakable and searched through the encrypted data for clues to Jo's whereabouts. She discovered not only Jo and their names among the files names but of but of people she knew and cared for who worked for the goverment.

People who would now be endangered.

Unfortunately neither she nor Kendall had the, know how to decrypt such data and to seek help from the government that would put Jo on the CIA's most wanted list. Never to be redeemed again and to face certain death neither were willing to except.

She had sent an email to Camille as a last ditch effort only when people started showing up dead.

The damage was done, as fingers seemed to be pointing at Lucy with damning evidence and no one willing to listen to Kendall who while being exonerated of any miss doings was ignored on account of suspected romantic relationships with both women.

Jo herself appeared murdered when six pints of her blood were splattered on the walls of a gas bathroom.

Lucy knew better than to trust blood though and a hunt began. Her emails to Camille were her only real hope to catching her killer as her search continued. Trying to determine the victims of Jo's assassination spree she tracked the murderer down, Camille's decryption of the stolen CIA information was invaluable.

"I was reassigned in disgrace" Kendall explained, "I had to do a lot of things I'm not proud of in order to get assigned to your case."

"What were you planning to do?" Camille asked shakily, she had reclaimed Logan's hand because at this moment it was just nice to be holding someone's hand.

"Get you a message" Kendall confessed, "You weren't my first option… Logan has been helping me the best he could to track down my missing women and clear your sister's name, but without him escaping…"

"Why didn't you escape?" Camille asked eyes searching imploringly to Logan and he let go of her hand so he could stare at his own sadly for a moment.

"Don't you think I've tried?" Suddenly the man seemed angry "I'm _irreplaceable_, remember? They might eventually give up on looking for you but they would never stop searching for me! You don't want my escape tethered to anything involving you."

He sighed and she took his hand back giving it a gentle squeeze, mimicking the kind gesture he had given her. "When will it ever be a good time to escape?"

He looked up at her and her eyes conveyed so many things. Now that she knew that Steve was essentially Logan it was impossible not to think how stupid she had been. James was merely echoing back to her something she wanted to see. He seemed so hollow and fake to her now, only coming to life in brief moments the mask had slipped.

James Diamond or whoever he was wasn't a bad man.

Camille had a sneaking suspicion that Logan felt similarly for his handler Carlos. That might be in actuality tethering him to this facility better than any tracking ankle bracelet or gun could.

"Kendall" Logan suddenly spoke up "if you do not want to be implicated in a crime against the government I suggest you leave."

Kendall shrugged and grinned at the man, "I wouldn't worry about THAT. I'm already implicated in several."

******BTR******

Steve spoke of planets as if the sky was the only thing that made him happy, speaking to Logan she realised that the man she loved mostly existed in someone else's body. He loved the planets with the same passion. His love of words and grammar maybe even more intensely than James had ever let show.

He didn't look at her the same way though. She wasn't sure whether this was good or bad.

It was like starting from scratch only Logan who had secretly been with her for months knew everything of her, had seen her open and honest and bare.

Camille knew nothing of him except what James had wanted her to see, what the government had allowed her to see. What Logan himself had been holding from her had remained a mystery.

During an escape from a high-level security government facility was not the time for romance, but Camille couldn't shake the feeling of the way Logan might stop and stare at her. The way he looked her in the eyes like he wasn't sure the exact appropriate moment to look away. The way he held her hand.

He had never held hands with someone before. Never been kissed he admitted. It wasn't something that came up when you were in the kind of situation he was in.

He had imagined at some point he fancied himself in love with Lucy, Kendall's kind hearted partner how had come with him when Kendall had taken him outside for a few hours.

That's initially why he thought so hard, planned so long for her recovery.

Then he had been given a mission pertaining to one Camille Roberts.

All feelings for anyone else fell away and he knew it was not just because she liked all the same things, or seemed to find the things he said interesting (he had initially attributed to the fact she was actually talking to James, and James was incredibly attractive.)

It was that for no apparent reason or fault of her own, Logan had fallen in love with her.

The fact that the mission was to bring her closer to him had been just a bonus.

The fact that she was not a bird to be caged had never been lost on him and he started drafting plans for her escape the moment she had been locked in the white room.

******BTR******

This was the moment.

Alarms were blaring and red light flashed before their eyes like a great prison escape in an old movie. Which was a little to close to the truth not to be a little amusing.

"Give me a boost" Camille hissed, and Logan didn't hesitate to pick her up and push her up until her heals rested on his shoulders. Even in this moment of pure terror and excitement Logan still paused a moment to run his hand appreciatively up her leg. "Quit it Logan" she scolded but he could tell from her tone she was holding back a grin.

"I've got it!"

The panel slid away revealing the air vent; Camille had a brief appreciative moment for her mother enrolling her in rhythmic gymnastics when she was little as she manoeuvred herself into the vent easily. Maybe she wouldn't blame ALL of her personality flaws on her mother when she eventual gave into the inevitable and went to therapy.

"A little help" Logan hissed "they're going to be here any second!"

She snapped out of her moment of cloudiness and yanked him up so he could pull himself into the vent.

"Have you disabled the motion sensors?" She asked and he made the disbelieving conceited noise he made whenever anyone underestimated him. "You act like this is my first time breaking out."

"Have you ever done so successfully?"

"This will be the first time" he shot her a rye smile, his eyes pierced right through her and she could feel herself struggling to continue breathing. "I think it has to do with my good luck charm."

She looked down to her ankle that was secured by an tracking ankle bracelet and then looked to the matching one on his ankle. She didn't _feel_ too lucky.

"Found it!" he whispered victoriously and held up the small contraption, "this is my other good luck charm- it's going to shut down every high powered gadget they have."

"How can you be sure?" she hissed trying to get a good look at the particular gadget.

"Because" he drawled with a self-satisfied grin on his face "I invented it." She rolled her eyes, but sent him a large grin because he wasn't wrong.

"Just like I invented every weapon they have in this God damn facility."

He searched for an opening in the vent and kicked it open, "so Camille… what's freedom like?"

"It's…" a wistful look past her face and then she looked deep into his eyes and the look intensified "indescribable."

******BTR******

Carlos stood in an empty room and sighed.

Logan had finally done it; he had escaped. It had only been a matter of time. Carlos had almost instantly suspected Logan's deeper affection for Camille and had done everything in his power to ensure they might come together under the guise that them working together would be a good idea.

He had hoped that Camille would be the thing that would make him want to stay. Turned out she had been the thing that had made him want to leave.

The sirens were moaning and red lights were flashing. Men were scrambling but the prisoners were already gone. Kendall Knight had officially turned rouge like agent Carlos Garcia had expected him too and taken Logan and Camille with him.

Kendall had always loved Lucy Stone too much for his own good.

Carlos should know; they had been in love with the same woman.

The spies relationships were a tangled web that had never touched Logan or Camille, until it had. Every stupid decision that had been made about the two of them had led back to that complicated web of love.

James didn't love Lucy or Jo. He didn't like Kendall. He cared for Carlos even if the two of them didn't acknowledge it anymore.

And he had loved Camille desperately even if he hadn't known it.

Camille's escape was best for everyone, Carlos decided and pulled out his phone. He needed to call a childhood friend and ask him over for a drink. James was going to need it.

His watch sounded indicating he was to meet for a briefing.

He walked calmly to the briefing room, ready to suffer the consequences for Logan's escape. Ready to suffer the consequences for not trying to stop him.

James was standing in the room and that threw the man off.

The screen lit up and the general stared back at them.

"Agent Garcia, agent Diamond you are being assigned a new case."

A new case? His old case wasn't even finished yet!

"Kendall Knight has defected presumably to liaison with former agent Lucy Stone, taking with him two valuable assets. Your mission? Retrieval, there is no escape from the CIA gentlemen."

James was going to need that drink a lot sooner than expected.

**Thank you for reading- please review.**


	9. Finding the answer

**Author's notes: so filling a prompt for the amazing Loganator Jr- who requested… well you'll see. It was in relation to an awesome TV show we both love. This fic seriously went through a butterfly like metamorphous on content- and started off a little like Barbra and Dick from batman- but then not at all like that ^_^ Anyway it was fun to write. Challenging, but fun.**

Camille takes another long satisfying sip of her coffee and waits for the all too rewarding burn of scalding coffee to slip down her throat before she looked back blearily at the slightly fuzzy light of her computer screen. She went for another sip but thought better of it. She had a four coffee per day rule, and she was on her third before the final period bell had even sounded. She needed to learn to make things last. It was a test of endurance really.

She snuck herself another sip and ensured herself that the annoyingly superior part of herself that had formed the four coffee per day rule had more pressing matters to concern itself with. Like getting this English assignment finished.

She had an extension. Everyone had been making sad miserable faces at her and patting her insincerely on the arm calling her things like 'love,' 'dear' and her personal favourite 'poor child.' Though her peer group mostly still called her 'that weird girl' but at least they were now doing it under their breath instead of outright to her face.

It's amazing what a dying parent can do for your social status.

Still Camille prided herself on her exceptional GPA and the fact that she had never handed a thing in late her whole life (with the exception of fourth grade, but nobody counted that unless they wanted to be given the stink eye.) So she was going to finish this stupid English assignment goddamn it. Even if it killed her.

A biography should be easy. She was the daughter of the world famous and former rock god Harris Mitchell. Hell she was already in several authorised and unauthorised biographies already. This should be a piece of pie.

Her phone went off. Another message from her mum, (why does her mum text? It's just… so wrong) telling her to get her ass over to the hospital. That she was a horrible excuse for a daughter but still managed to end on an 'I love you.'

'Classic mum,' Camille thought bitterly and turned off her phone so she wouldn't get kicked out of the computer lab when her mum ultimately decided to call her to bitch her out voice to voice.

Camille would like to say it had to do with the stress of her husband being in the hospital, but the fact that almost everyone in school almost instantly knew what ring tone she had at any given time (this month: the Spiderman theme) said otherwise.

A message popped up on her screen requesting a chat with . Real name: Logan Roberts. Occupation: Camille's best friend.

Sort of.

** requests to chat with Ophelia182**

**Accept**

**[ ] I Just got your email. Do you have anything written yet?**

Logan Roberts was a genius (as if you couldn't tell from the prissy way he punctuated his emails) and was the closest thing she had to a best friend. The only reason for the 'sort of' that always followed after that statement (if only to appease her mother) is that they had never once met in person.

Or in fact talked on the phone.

See despite her current woes Camille was actually a very adept writer. So much so that she wrote two different articles for the school newspaper (Only one published with her name however as the other tended to rant about whatever was on her mind at that particular point in time.)

She didn't trust the school editor farther than she could throw him (which was not very far.) Jett Stentson was the school's newspaper editor for lack of a more accurate title who took the job because he was obsessive with padding his resume. He was also Camille's cousin and a first rate jackass, so in freshman year she did the only thing a techno savvy, amateur writer could do.

She shopped around for a beta. In stepped aka future love of Camille's life.

He was by all accounts a vicious editor and all around know it all. They had actually spent hours arguing about the proper placement of an oxford comma. The matter only settled when he sent a sound bite of 'who gives a fuck about an oxford comma'- the argument, like most other things, went to him.

She found herself spending hours online talking to him about everything, only to be smacked in the face one-day sophomore year with the realisation that she had fallen in love with a typeface and various emoticons and didn't mind one bit.

Love was blind she guessed and in the fast paced electronic world, she guessed it could even be considered romantic.

That is if he had ever given any indication of liking her back…and he hadn't. There was only so far a girl could read into an emoticon after all.

**[Ophelia182] I cant seem to forulise a begining y is it that stories have to hav a begining, a middle & an end?**

She could imagine his face screwed up with concentration, not that she could be sure of his face, he had once described himself as short with brown hair and had never gone into much detail. He had maddeningly never once signalled that he would like to exchange pictures either. Perhaps because he could look her up online, where a few candid photos could be found (his own profile was maddeningly bare.)

Logan responded quickly and efficiently, but skimmed over the part where he had edited her previous statement for the sake of her sanity.

**[ ] It is the standard formula. Have you tried starting from the middle and working your way backwards? I doubt you'll have an ending planned. Who in their right mind wants to put a 'the end' anywhere in the middle of your life? :)**

It amazed her how so much and at the same time how little one person could know about her life. She had on several occasions attempted to situate a sudden 'the end' into her story. Though that was before they were friends. So she wouldn't talk about it now. She certainly never planned to share such a detail with him.

Logan was unfortunately missing a puzzle piece to see the full picture. There was actually a perfect place to start the story, but Logan knew nothing about it. It constantly amazed her that she could hide this fact from him but couldn't hide it from strangers.

If you had ever laid eyes on Camille Mitchell you would know exactly when her story began. It coincided with the day her life ended, or at least as she knew it.

It stagnated her. She liked that word. Stagnated. It was much prettier than paralysed. Though that's what she was.

******BTR******

"HORTENSE LOGAN ROBERTS GET OFF YOUR IPAD AND START SETTING UP OR I WILL CONFISCATE IT!"

Logan looked up to where his father was yelling at him through a bullhorn. He rolled his eyes and typed a short '**gtg My parents are screaming at me again. :(**' Before powering down and storing it safely back into his bag. He had recently changed the passcode so hopefully Kat wouldn't crack it and start emailing suggestive things to Camille when he wasn't looking. Again.

Camille had assumed he had a rambunctious younger sibling and he was more than happy to let her draw her own conclusions.

"Hurry up Logan" Lucy called from the other side of the tent, "you don't want the roustabouts getting pissed with you again." Her eyebrow arched in a perfect display of theatricality, which suited her perfectly to the life of an equilibrist. Lucy was born to be in the circus, unlike Logan who had merely been born into the circus.

"Oh they love me," he laughed and ignored the halfhearted muttering from said roustabouts. They did love him. It was hard not to love someone you helped raise and most of them had.

'The Roberts Family Circus' went back many generations, though Logan was the only Roberts of his generation. Therefore destined to take over the family business in a few years regardless of his deep desire to attend college.

He walked over to Lucy and assisted in pulling the tent up on the final 'heave ho' and tied the knots deftly to the pegs planted firmly in the ground by Kat, his cousin and 'The Robert's family circus' only contortionist.

The girl sprung up beside him as if she had been called. People voiced various loud expressions of doubt when he introduced her as his cousin. They looked nothing alike (though Logan privately thought that he didn't look particularly like his parents either) and he perfected his customary eye roll and speech about interracial marriage to an absolute T.

Though she seriously bore no resemblance to him in any shape or form. She appeared more closely related to Tulsa born Lucy Stone who managed to look more and less like either of them in comparison. (That was around the time Lucy liked to point out she was part Chinese and cackled at them.)

"Were you talking to your girlfriend again?" Kat asked brightly wiggling her eyebrows at him and Lucy almost let go of her rope in surprise.

"Your what?!"

"She means Camille," Logan explained red faced "not that I have to explain myself to you." Lucy and Kat had very different but equally vocal opinions on his virtual friendship with Camille. Lucy ranted that it was a friendship based on lies (which was a little true seeing as he had never actually explained to her he was a circus brat despite implying it.) Kat however got all star-eyed and romantic about it (which he didn't mind, he had privately gotten pretty star-eyed about the girl in question himself.)

"She's going through a tough time right now… her dad is in the hospital" he explained quietly. Kat nodded sadly and slowly before bouncy away and Lucy had gone back to securing the rope.

"Tell her… I'll be thinking of her" Lucy said finally, and nodded to herself as if she had managed to say something close enough to nice that Logan wouldn't have to scowl at her (she had.)

"I'll do that."

"No doubt YOU'LL be thinking of her" she snickered and Logan scowled which was as per usual for whenever they spoke about Camille.

Lucy was some kind of distant third cousin and she had joined the circus when she was thirteen and he was eleven after her father died and his mother became her legal guardian (that had actually occurred a year in advance but his parents had shut down the circus for some unknown reason for a large part of his tenth year.) So she was kind of like that annoyingly cool sister that he never wanted but got anyway.

"Shut UP" he muttered which turned embarrassingly into a broken up whine (damn puberty to hell.)

"We have practice in an hour" she sighed and slumped to the floor, back to the now secure tent. "Are you practicing on the trapeze again? I here uncle Greg wants you to start doing it without a net- you know something to bring in a crowd."

"Yeah well dad can shove it" Logan kicked a peg to no visible effect "I'm not breaking my neck just so he can have a bigger crowd. We do well with the draws with have. Plus we're in Texas so we're guaranteed the usual gawkers at any rate. Everyone loves the circus."

"Why ARE we in Texas anyway?" Lucy asked "it skips like three stops on our usual tour- Uncle Greg has been on the phone for the last TWO days rearranging everything…"

"Dad's being sneaky" Logan shrugged "that's how he rolls- mum probably put him up to it, to get it out of the way. You know how she hates Texas."

"God knows why," Lucy sighed and put out a hand so Logan could help her up. "Texas is where the money's at, I don't know WHY we don't spend more time here!"

Logan shrugged; he had never been much interested in the business side (or any side) of the family business. The conversation seemed pretty much over, with all of Lucy's questions going unanswered and they fell into a lull. Something Lucy couldn't stand. "Soooooooo" she drawled in her best southern accent "you assisting Kat in her act tonight?"

"Yeah" Logan grinned "someone has got to stuff her into that toy chest."

******BTR******

Camille turned her phone back on to find several angry phone messages and texts from her mother reminding her that she needed to be at the hospital straight after school as per agreement. Camille was late and most likely grounded.

She knew this was an important meeting, to do with organ donors. They would probably ask her to donate part of her liver, since she was family and all. Her blood type was AB- which Logan said was the rarest blood type in the world, and that probably meant her dad had it too.

She didn't really understand genetics but she knew about blood. Several of her relatives had donated her blood after the accident. It had to be a relative because AB- was in very short supply. She didn't know if her dad donated her blood but she made several homemade cards and had her mother mail them to her mysterious relatives anyway.

Something jostled her out of her thought, quite literally. She KNEW she should have had those handles removed when she had the chance. No other paraplegic was rolling around with handles. It was kind of degrading, but Camille had once liked the option of her father pushing her. It felt a little like when she was young and he would carry her.

"Come on" Kendall pushed Camille's wheelchair impatiently trying to hurry the process along. Camille hated to be pushed but Kendall was an expert at ignoring her requests. She allowed it, if only because he was the only thing that stood between her being in this chair and her being in a grave. Though that's another thing she doesn't like to think about.

"Where are we rushing to?"

"My locker," he stopped her suddenly and violently at his locker and if she hadn't been holding on she would have toppled out of her chair. He spins the dial a bit to casually and opens it producing several tickets "I got us four tickets to the circus!"

"Us?"

"Us!" Kendall confirms sincerely "you, me, my girlfriend Jo- you remember my girlfriend Jo right?"

"Kendall you and Jo have been dating since the sixth grade," she points out to highlight the absolute ludicrousness of the question.

"So you do know her" he wiggles his eyebrows and she waves her hand to indicate he needed to get on with it. "Annnnnnnnnd the fourth one is a wildcard."

"You're setting me up on a blind date?" Camille said flatly, Kendall had been trying to set her up since they were fourteen and things had gotten quote 'serious' between him and Jo and he decided no, they weren't going to get married so he would find her a suitable replacement for his excellent self. Camille had never been interested in the first place but that had not once factored into his decision-making.

Camille had made the wise decision to mention not a single thing about Logan to Kendall, which was a good call on her part. Kendall would be all over him in ten seconds flat. It was just the way of the world.

"Nooooooo you made me swear never to set you up on a blind date again," he told her with a manic grin. This promise had actually been made four blind dates ago and Camille had mostly forgotten about it. "It's a wild card!"

"Same thing" she snapped "can't I just take Mercedes instead?"

Mercedes Griffin was her sort of not really cousin; the sort of being that her dad was her dad's best friend and honorary uncle. The not really being that she was adopted so there was absolutely no way they were even slightly related. It hardly factored though. She was vain and self centred but still way cooler than Jett her real cousin, which made her kind of Camille's other best friend.

"No" Kendall said flatly "that's kind of incest." (It wasn't.)

"Anyway, I've already picked out a guy."

"It better not be James Diamond again Kendall" she glared, Kendall had set them up six times now (roughly twice a year) and she was so not in the mood.

"James is my best friend Camille," he told her seriously (which was a lie, James was kind of too self absorbed to have a best friend but if someone had the said honour it would go to Carlos Garcia- who she had gone on three blind dates with.)

"It's not James" he assured her, which sounded like a total lie.

"Fine" she snatched a ticket "but that's only because I had to be at the hospital like ten minuets ago and don't have time to argue."

She rolled away and Kendall watched her go with an amused look on his face. She was glad he waited until AFTER she left before he fist pumped because she would be forced to punch him in the face.

******BTR******

**Ophelia182 sends:**

**I'm not actually going to use this okay. Just read it and write me back.**

**At age ten I used to like to climb trees. It was a bit of a tomboyish trait if you asked my mother (she'd tell you anyway even if you didn't ask) so I did my best not to. But I kind of liked to be up high when I was stressed. I didn't know why (still don't) it was such a comfort, it just was.**

**So after one day when Mercedes Griffin my cousin and official frienemy number one said I wet the bed in front of Carlos Garcia the cute new transfer student. It seems so dumb that I was so upset in the first place but I was okay. Anyway I ran all way home. Only I stopped. **

**In the park right near the edge next to the pretty white picket fences that seemed to encase everything where I live was this beautiful, beautiful tall tree.**

**I only got half way up when I heard someone calling and realised my next-door neighbour was calling up to me. Kendall Knight. Two years older and fate seems to bend in his favour so everything he said was right and he's always been pretty insufferable about it.**

"**Be careful Camille" he called, probably thinking to himself that he was helpful or clever, "you might fall and hurt yourself."**

**So of course as the fates would have it.**

**I did.**

**Right onto the beautiful white picket fence. **

**Fuck my life. I'm not writing this in that stupid biography just so you know Logan. I just thought you might want to know.**

******BTR******

Logan has morosely come to the conclusion that he may just have an Oedipus complex. Not the gross kind where he's secretly lusting after his mother or something (especially since they fight like constantly and you know. That's gross) but the kind where he may only be attracted to girls who bare a remarkable likeness to her. He's not sure how that would even work.

He had thought upon entering puberty that he may be asexual. He went all the way to fourteen without any desire to stop and look at either girls or boys in the like. Not that he had much experience with anyone close to resembling his age on any kind of meaningful face-to-face basis other than Lucy who so didn't count.

His parents finally splurged and got him a computer for his birthday when he had entered high school (hypothetically of course seeing as he was home schooled.) Suddenly a whole new world was open to him and understanding romantic feelings suddenly became easier (and not just because he had access to porn now… though that did help.)

He met Camille (virtually anyway) and experienced what could only be classed as his first crush.

He was desperately, stupidly smitten with her and would repeat her opinions back to Lucy like they were gospel and smiled like a mentally disturbed person.

Then he hunted for a picture. He didn't want to just up and ask her. That would be needy and desperate and Camille was WAY too cool for him. He already knew that and he just knew no matter what she looked like; she was going to be stunning.

Someone that beautiful on the inside must just radiate it all the way to the outside (and frankly Logan was so far gone, he imagined even if she looked like a troll he'd still be utterly infatuated and probably wouldn't notice.)

She was in no way a troll. She was in a word… stunning. Beautiful… she looked… just like his mum. Disturbingly so.

She had long flowing dark hair, large brown eyes and she even had the same beauty mark as his mum (though Camille's was charmingly placed on her upper lip instead of her cheek.)

He steeled himself to this and thought of her often. After all he had never and to date still hadn't found a single other person attractive.

Until today that was.

Sitting a few seats away from him, texting madly on her phone was this incredible looking girl. It had hit him like a ton of bricks. He NEVER noticed people's appearances (to the point that Lucy openly mocked him) and here he was sitting sweaty palmed trying to not make eye contact while his parents talked to some mysterious person in the hospital.

Oh God he was going to be sick. He was going so red his face was going to catch fire. He was going to blink himself out of existence by sheer force of will. It all seemed a bit extreme because he'd only just glimpsed at her face before it hid itself away behind a curtain of hair again.

Her phone rang (the fast paced na, na, nas of the spider-man theme tune) and she bent down to get it.

That's when he noticed the chair. Lucy would mock him till the end of time, he was sure. He might be the most unfortunately unobservant person in the world, but to not notice that a girl was in a wheelchair after ten minuets of furtive glances and mooning was an all time low for him.

He pulled out his ipad, which Kat had clearly attempted to break into, and checked his email (thank you hospital wifi!)

There was a message from Camille and he instantly felt horrible. He had been thought-cheating on Camille with the pretty girl in the wheelchair. Well okay maybe not 'cheating' since Camille didn't quite know they were dating (our imaginary one year anniversary is coming up, he thought glumly.) But that didn't mean he wasn't a horrible human being.

The email was entitled 'I'm sorry I didn't mention…' which filled Logan with an unnecessary amount of dread. What was she sorry for? Did she have a real boyfriend all along and was laughing at him? Did she show his emails to her friends and laugh at how stupid and lovesick he sounded? Was she secretly Lucy pulling the worlds most elaborate and time-consuming punking?

He steeled himself and opened the email. His skin immediately went cold the way it does when you step out in the snow for the first time and your body has no idea how to react. What inside feels almost impossible. He might be sick. Not because she's… but he never knew and now… oh God he just felt so… so… bad for her.

That's probably the reason she never told him in the first place. That's probably why she had never suggested they meet.

"Excuse me," he said out loud, eyes boring into the long dark tresses of the girl next to him. She turned and he was struck by a feeling. He had never met her but seen her face a thousand times. He had printed out her photo and literally carried it with him everywhere.

"Camille…" he breathed.

"Yes" she said slowly, and it was such an amazing rush to know the sound of her voice, "do I… know you?"

"Yes" his voice broke. "You do."

******BTR******

It was official that Camille was NEVER going to be able to finish her homework assignment now. She had just unwittingly met the boy of her dreams (actually better looking in real life than fantasy and really. What were the chances?) And already had her ending planned out in her head about how they would drive off into the sunset in her dad's car in a totally not grease-like flying car way when her parents ruined it. Both sets of them.

Typical really.

"What do you mean I'm not your son?!" Logan spluttered in outrage as if he hadn't spoken to (emailed) Camille with the concern over a year ago when he was studying genetics. He had a cleft chin. His parents hadn't. HER parents however did, so they had both written it off as one of those things.

In retrospect, that had been a stupid idea.

"It had been raining" her mother (Mrs Mitchell) explained, Mrs Roberts (her mother) snorted "more like hailing. It flooded the first floor of the hospital… their was blackouts all over town."

"We were out-of-towners obviously," Mr Roberts (her father) explained, "and so were we. Brand new to the area" his father (Mr Mitchell) added "and stupid kids… I'd just broken into the music business at the time and your mother…"

"I was a runaway" she said quietly "I'd never even had an ultrasound, I'd only realised a couple of months before you were due that I was ever even pregnant."

Camille knew this part of the story; her mother had been well… a groupie. Utterly hilarious now that she was prim and proper and a Stepford housewife. She came from old money and rebelled at fourteen. Pregnant at seventeen and married to her twenty three year old sweetheart, just days before she was born.

It was a huge scandal. It had been on E.

There was however, more to the story.

"We were touring at the time," Mr Roberts (her father… technically her father) and when the floods hit… Becky went into premature labour."

Camille had been such a small child; everyone had said so, even though she had gone to full term.

"My C-section was also a nightmare" her mum (or should she refer to her as Mrs Mitchell in her head?) added. "I lost too much blood… and while you…" she looked at Logan when she said this and not Camille "were healthy… I almost died."

The newspapers didn't know about that part because the Mitchells were very good at keeping secrets. Camille just didn't realise they had been keeping so many FROM her.

"We didn't name you" her father looked embarrassed, half dead and yet still so terribly embarrassed "I… I didn't even look at you. I thought she might be dead."

"That's understandable," Logan breathed but in Camille's head it was anything but. He hadn't even asked about the sex? Had no one known? How was that even possible?

"The hospital was understaffed as it was and there was a terrible bus crash" Mrs Roberts took over the story "but you were a breach birth so…"

"They rushed the baby off so quickly they didn't even put a band on you" she explained and she was looking at Camille like she wanted to reach out but knew she couldn't. Then she looked at Logan like she wanted to reach out but KNEW she shouldn't. "When we got you back… well you had my father's eyes and you were a boy! We had expected a girl but the doctor said that it had been an error in typing- the circulating nurse had been called out half way through surgery when another emergency surgery came through."

"Ours was a girl" Mrs Mitchell sighed, "I had just KNOWN she was going to be a girl… I could feel it, the nurse explained to me that it had been the… the alcohol that had made her so small."

Camille looked over to Logan, whose build might be explained by alcohol or maybe his intense gymnast background.

"But you knew" Logan said and that snapped Camille back to reality because yes. Her parents clearly knew. They looked guilty as hell and not at all indignant.

"When… when I was ten a year after Lucy came to live with us dad left for a couple of months and the shows were cancelled." Logan said slowly like he had worked something out "that was the year you hit the fence post right?"

All four adults winced but Logan looked at her, eyes wide and hands reaching for her own. "Yes… I… I sent my relatives cards. They… had to donate blood."

"That's when you knew" Logan exclaimed and he held her hand tight like it might crush her "they did the blood test and she didn't have AB- blood like I do."

"She's type O," her dad said weakly. "The investigation was all under the table, and when we found you…"

"I didn't matter," he said and it was like being cut into a thousand tiny pieces "your daughter was dying and I was just some…"

"YOU already had a loving family" Mrs Mitchell insisted and her voice cracked. An incredible feat considering Camille hadn't thought she knew HOW to show emotion.

"So you gave the blood, presumably sued the shit out of the hospital and what… never looked back?"

"We were going to tell you."

"WERE YOU?!"

Camille didn't know which one of them screamed it, but it hardly mattered. Both of them had felt it.

"So why now?" Logan asked, "Why now? Is it because we're sixteen next week? I guess it wasn't such a coincidence after all Camille."

Their parents are confused. They don't know that they already knew each other. Their faces would have betrayed them if they had.

"Don't you remember" Camille said harshly, her throat aches and it must have been her who screamed. "My father… YOUR father is dying. He's a rockstar did I ever tell you. In to all the hard drugs. Now his liver's failed and he needs a transplant."

******BTR******

The thing Logan can't get his head around isn't that he was switched a birth with a girl. Although that is an unbelievable fuck up even if they were understaffed in the middle of a storm. No, what he can't comprehend it that the girl who he would banter with, the one so sweet it almost hurts one second only to become bitingly sarcastic and sharp the next. The girl that used to send him smiley faces, and winky faces and angry faces and any other sort of faces to display her emotions was the daughter of his parents.

They aren't related. They aren't related. They aren't fucking related!

He chants it like a mantra and ends up back at the grounds where they've set up because he has to perform tonight instead of doing what a normal person would do if they got into this situation. Hyperventilate.

If she hadn't broken her spine, if she could walk, would his parents have taken her back?

That's what had been gnawing at him. Well that and the irrepressible urge to drag Camille into an empty room sit down in her lap and just kiss her everywhere because that had been the plan for when he met her for two years.

He was in shock, probably. Everything felt numb which was fair, because he had just found out in order; Camille was a paraplegic, she was even prettier and smarter than he assumed, he was definitely not good enough for her and oh… he had been switched at birth with her.

Life sucks.

What was the chance that he would meet her online? What were the chances that he would have this instant intellectual and emotional connection? What were the chances that he would fall madly in love with her and yes he was in love with her because things were way to messed up for his usual carefully crafted denial.

Lucy was going to laugh mercilessly at him and Kat would jump around and try to spy on their dates.

Not that they were dating. Could they even date now?

Oh God. He should ask her on a date. He didn't even know how to do that.

Okay, first things first. Tomorrow night he had surgery because they really couldn't afford to replace his act on two hours notice. He'd do his performance and psych himself up to give away part his liver to a stranger.

His parents (he was still going to refer to them as his parents no matter what a little DNA test said) tried to talk him out of it, but he couldn't. Camille had been a stranger to them and that hadn't stopped them from donating blood (even if it wasn't the same thing) and he wasn't going to have that on his conscious.

Also he was Camille's dad and whether he liked it or not, technically Logan's dad.

Logan wasn't an idiot though. In another life he might even thought of being a lawyer, if medicine wasn't his dream.

His dream is what set him in front of Mr and Mrs Mitchell.

"I want to come to an agreement," he said firmly. Mr Mitchell's eyes were glassy from the morphine but Logan had seen him in old music videos and knew he had made much more important decisions in his life in worse states of mind than this. If the pictures of the Mitchell's 'quickie marriage' were anything to go by.

"Same rules apply as if this were from the donation committee- no alcohol or drugs," he said sternly and Mr Mitchell raised his hands and smiled lucidly. "I'm clean… except for you know, right now. I made a lot of changes after Camille's accident."

"Yes" Logan said tightly. The man's lips formed a thin line, realising he was bringing up something that hurt Logan in more than one way.

"We- we want to be apart of your life… we've always wanted that," Mrs Mitchell reached for his hand again but ended up touching his knee instead. "You can imagine what your parents thought… our daughter was p-paralysed. They didn't want you near us. They didn't want Camille near us either but it's not like they could take care of her."

"You had the money and the time," Logan nodded.

"We also loved her," she said fiercely and Logan nodded. He got that. Camille was an easy girl to love.

"So my other condition is… I want to live with you for the rest of high school" he said firmly.

They actually gaped at him, "I've been trying to get my parents to agree to boarding school… but this might be better for everyone. I- I know you don't know much about me. I guess I don't know much about you" he laughed a little. "Even though my dad used to follow YOUR carer obsessively so I guess I do a little." The reason why his dad made him listen to Harris Mitchell's music was a little clearer now. His dad didn't really want to deprive him from his real parents. He just wanted to protect him, but he couldn't anymore.

"I want to be a doctor… and circus acrobat on my resume isn't really going to cut it for medical school."

They seemed surprised at the idea he was smart. He got that. Nobody ever looked at the circus acrobat and said ''you know, I bet he's great at calculus.''

"Look from where I'm sitting it seems like a pretty fair trade to me," Logan told them.

Mrs Mitchell let out a shaky breath and stared at him with sad eyes. "Is that it? Don't you want to get to know us at all?"

"I think I know everything I need to know," Logan stood up "the operation is booked tomorrow unless you have a problem with the agreement?"

"No" Mrs Mitchell said faintly, they weren't really in a position to argue. They watched as their son walked out the door.

Okay. So maybe he was still a little pissed about the whole thing.

******BTR******

Camille wanted to hit something. Smash something, but the most she was capable of would be to run herself into a wall over and over again and she REALLY didn't want to have to get a new chair because she'd had a hissy fit. Again.

Not that a hissy fit wasn't justified. It was practically mandatory in this situation.

Her whole life was a lie, and her parents hadn't once thought to clue her in. she had spent the first few minuets screaming at them when she found out until Logan could get her to calm down. She had rested her head on his shoulder and he had petted her hair, which would have been awesome under any other circumstance. Though it was just an empty gesture when she was still reeling from the news.

He had thought he was adopted. Yes this was some shitty news. Especially shitty since they were only telling him because they wanted part of his liver but he had been expecting for years now for him parents to sit down and give him the 'your not our son but we still love you anyway talk.'

Now she was looking down the barrel of her own version of that, and it sucked.

When they were alone she screamed some more, because she hadn't known. Hadn't always known instinctively somehow like she was supposed to, that she wasn't theirs. Even though there had been clues, hints even and it's like she had turned a blind eye to all of it.

Her family had kept secrets. It was standard for them. But this wasn't some secret she wasn't overly concerned with from the seventies about an affair or what exactly had scared her dad off the drugs (because it certainly wasn't her accident.) Those were some screwed up secrets but this took the cake. No, this took the whole fucking bakery.

"I know you're upset," her mother tried to say but Camille wasn't interested "but think of it from our perspective."

"No mum, think of it from theirs!" she spat "am I so… damaged that they didn't want me?!"

"No" she said but it sounded more like a yes.

"And what you thought I was too fragile? That I wouldn't be able to… cope with this information?! Do you really think so little of me?"

Her parents didn't answer and the silence was more telling than a truth would ever be.

Her phone beeped to tell her Kendall was texting her.

'u still coming tonite? Found d perfict boy 4 u :^)'

Camille snapped her phone shut and resolved that she wasn't going to think about it for the night. That she'd go on a date and have a good time and not think about any of it. She wouldn't think about her parents. Or her other parents. She wouldn't even think about Logan.

Even though she desperately wanted to talk to him. She wanted to finally hold him and they could comfort each other but it was all to confusing now and their parents and their shit had managed to take away from a moment she had been dreaming about for years.

She had planned down to the second what she would look like and what she would say when she would meet him. And the first words she ever said to him ended up being. "Can you fucking believe this?!"

Not as smooth or suave and she had imagined.

His first words had been "it'll be okay Camille… just. You can hold my hand if you want… if that'll make you feel better."

It had. It really had.

******BTR******

Camille has to go to the circus even though that's the last thing on earth she'd rather be doing. Though she knew if she bailed Kendall would hunt her down and make her talk and Camille really wasn't up for it. Not when it was all still so fresh.

So she put on a nice outfit and wheeled herself to outside the brightly coloured tent and waited. Then like something out of her toothpaste commercial, Jo bounded up to her wide smile and wearing one of her trademark adorable girl next-door outfits.

Jo was the honest to God love of Kendall's life. They went together like some lame simile. Destined to create sickeningly sweet family photos that looked like the kind of ones that came with the frame.

"Hey Camille," she said brightly. Jo was mostly under the assumption that they were friends, not totally untrue. She was a really nice person. It was just hard to like her when Kendall spent every moment of every day waxing on poetically about her virtues. "I'm just going to tell you this straight up in advance. There is no possible way you're going to have a good time tonight. Oh. Brace yourselves, here they come."

Kendall came into view, arguing with her date. Her date who was… no. Jett Fricken' Stenson. Abort. Abort. This was not happening.

"You did not set me up with Jett, Kendall," she said incredulously and shaking her head like she suspected Kendall was mentally unsound. Which was because she honestly did suspect that.

"Sure did," he said proudly and then eyed her when she looked less than enthused "what? I thought I'd be a good match. He said he was an old friend of your family."

"Yeah real old Kendall- he's my cousin!" Camille exclaimed much to Kendall's quick and ferocious horror. Jett had always hit on her but she never thought he was serious about it though. Incest seemed like a line even he wouldn't cross. Although they weren't technically cousins, she realised suddenly. Not by birth anyway, though she felt she'd logged in enough childhood memories with him for this still to be unbelievably squicky.

"We're not REALLY cousins Camille," Jett rolled his eyes and sent her what he thought was a charming smirk. Which was a misnomer really. Smirks weren't charming. "Dad already told me that you were switched at birth for some gypsy child."

Damn her gossipy not-family to hell!

"Camille?" Kendall squeaked out in distress and Jo rubbed little circles into his back to stop him from freaking out. "What the hell does that mean?"

So Camille spent all of their time they could be waiting for the circus to start and buying food and stuff, talking about her problems. Jo holds her hand tightly and it's nice. She's even gracious enough not to be put out by the way Kendall is clinging to Camille and whispering sweet words to try and soothe the burn left from her day.

"We can go home," Kendall said immediately. "We'll… we'll eat ice cream and watch shitty rom coms and you can tell me everything you like about that internet guy you intend to marry. Oh and yes, I know who he is. You should never trust me with your computer. I should remember his name if you two are to be wed though- isn't it Lo- oh. Oh Camille no."

The same name can't be a coincidence and Camille's face confirmed it.

"We can go-"

"We can not" Jett said snottily "I've already paid for my ticket. Camille can have her emotional crisis after our date."

"You're contributing to my emotional crisis," she snapped as the lights dimmed and a voice boomed out. An oddly familiar voice.

"Weeeeeellllllcccccoooomme one and all to the AMAZING Roberts family cirrrrrrrrccccccuuuuusssss!"

That was her dad. Well other dad. You know whatever. She doesn't need to work out what to call him right now. Logan was in the circus. Huh. That explained a few things. Shit. She could have been in the circus.

"That's him," she grips Kendall's hand tightly and he whips around not knowing what he's looking for "that's my bio dad."

"You dad's a RINGMASTER?!" he yelps and is not deterred by the various grumbles around him to shut up.

"They are all in the circus" at least she thinks they are. It wasn't called 'The Robert's family circus' for shits and giggles. "Shut up" she urged, "I just… I need to watch this."

"This is masochistic" he warns her but falls silent. Letting her grip his hand tightly as she wants.

The first few acts blurred together like some kind of colourful montage of horror. To everyone else's delight, there were clowns, and daredevils and all sorts. There was even a woman with streaks in her hair that juggled pins which she then lit on fire but even that couldn't capture her attention.

It wasn't until Mr. Roberts announced the 'great contortionist Kat,' that Camille sat up and took notice. "She's a bit young" Kendall muttered as she entered the arena, and it was a fair statement, she didn't look older than a preteen. "Can you imagine what it would be like growing up in the circus?"

Yes actually. She wanted to reply. Yes she could.

She was followed out by a man dressed in spandex (not an uncommon occurrence- everyone was dressed in spandex) but there was something achingly familiar about him. "Kat will be assisted by her brother, Logan."

"No way are they related," Jett snorted.

"About as much as you and I are," she agreed with an awestruck murmur. The music started to swell and the girl went limp, falling into Logan's capable hands.

"The first act is entitled- rag doll."

She watched as Logan moved his sister around carelessly, dragging her around and tangling her limps like a rag doll. Kat's body complied bonelessly and contorted like a real rag doll might. It was all an act though as they moved to the music, it must take a great deal of effort. To look that effortless and careless.

Suddenly Logan looked up. Their eyes locked and Logan's hand slipped, Kat slumped and almost painfully hit the ground if he hadn't caught her at the last moment. He watched her with dark intense eyes.

His eyes didn't leave hers as their act finished and Logan folded Kat up like a used toy and fitted her into a toy box.

The next act was introduced and Camille finally turned to Kendall. "That was Logan," she told him softly. Kendall responded in his usual flamboyant manner and spilled food all over himself in surprise.

"What?" he exclaimed, seemingly unconcerned as his girlfriend tried to mop the mess up.

"The guy on stage a minute ago," she elaborated slowly "he's my parents' son."

"Oh my God" was the general exclamation. Kendall's eyes darted around wildly and bit his lip "we can leave if you want Camille. I wouldn't hold it against you."

"It's fine," she said. Because really. It was. She was happy to see Logan if no one else (she was especially happy to see him in spandex) and she wouldn't run away.

"Why is he performing?" Jett asked suddenly "shouldn't he be in hospital? Prepping for surgery?"

"He's going after" a voice told them, and they turned around to find the girl with streaks in her hair sitting behind them. Changed out of spandex, her performance must be finished. "I'm Lucy Stone" she introduced with a smile "I'm kind of your cousin... and your boyfriend's best friend so you should try and make a good first impression."

Camille let out a chocked noise "I'm not..."

"Oh, but you sort of are" she assured "on both counts. Even though that's more than a little messed up, It's really nice to meet you. Logan has been telling me about you for years and now I wished I'd paid closer attention."

"He mentioned you too," Camille said, realising in that moment, it was true. Cousin Lucy had been a frequent topic of conversation- if only so Logan had a forum to vent about her personality flaws. Though that might just be because they seemed to spend every waking moment together.

Another act was introduced and it was Logan again. Climbing deftly up a ladder and towards the trapeze. She should have suspected something really. He had mentioned he was a gymnast. That his family moved around a lot and that he was homeschooled. That he... had been expected to take over the family business eventually.

Logan wasn't bound to that anymore. She realised, and it felt good. Like there was something good coming from this crappy situation. Logan could study and be a doctor without the last name Roberts constantly dragging him down.

Logan was soaring through the air and it was something kind of beautiful just to watch the long smooth lines of his body. The impressive way he contorted and the even more impressive way he grabbed hold of another person's hands to remain airborne.

"He's... good."

That could have been her. She could have never injured herself falling out of tree and that could have been her. She might be the one soaring.

She couldn't wish for it though. Not on the outside chance that it meant Logan would be the one sitting uselessly from a chair. Logan was born to fly. Born to be great. The fates had seen to it that he would be able too.

Logan flipped to the ground and called out to the audience. "Alright for my next feat I require a member of the audience to assist me."

"Oh, oh!" Lucy was suddenly yelling a gripped Camille's hand raising it in the air "over here!"

Logan was looking at her again and it was all Camille could do not to turn into a horrible red stuttering mess. He looked conflicted but walked over. "Hello there what's your name?"

"Camille," Lucy supplied and Logan glared at her.

He leant over so his lips grazed her ear "it's a harness trick," he told her "if you do it... you'd be quite high in the air with me."

"As long as I'm with you" she said faintly and he pulled back with a big unabashed grin. Suddenly the thought of being airborne didn't scare her, it brought her back to all those years where being up high had been the best thing to ever happen to her.

"Excellent" he told her and lifted her up out of the chair easily. Taking her to the center of the arena "we need to make this quick... before dad realizes what's happening. He's going to loose his shit."

Kat was waiting and helped her into the harness and Logan stood behind her, hooking himself in.

"Is this really okay?"

"I'm not afraid of heights Logan," she rolled her eyes "that's kind of why I'm disabled now- but should we be doing this from a legal standpoint? It's not part of your usual act is it?" she asked mildly.

"No. It's breaks a few laws actually," he admits to her with a laugh "plus I'm not supposed to be straining myself before surgery."

His hands were on her hips, holding her steadily and she groped until her palm was on his stomach. "You'll have a scar... right here."

"Two inches to the left" he muttered distractedly, before he pinned her with another intense stare "will you still love me with all my scars?"

She wanted to say, 'how do you know I love you at all?' though it seemed moot now. They had wasted so much time already.

"Will you love me, despite all of mine?"

"Yes" he said like it had been wretched from him. Like the word might be a prayer.

"Then... yes. Of course."

Suddenly they were flying.


End file.
